


Class of 2014

by l2Kl



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Friendship/Love, Future Fic, Hatchet Burial, I deleted all my tags on accident, Love, Sleeping Together, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-08-15 14:49:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8060686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/l2Kl/pseuds/l2Kl
Summary: Victoria Chase returns to Arcadia Bay after ten years for the Class of 2014 Reunion. Urged by her best friend Taylor, she reluctantly shows her face amongst her former classmates. Will she be able to make amends for her behaviour in the past? How will she react to the things she learns about her classmates and what they have done after ten years?





	1. Buried Hatchets and Unlikely Unions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first piece of writing and I've decided to give fanfiction ago. It's a bit of a niche topic I'm covering, and by that i mean it's very a lot a niche.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this, I've been sitting on this idea for a while now and I decided I'd have go with writing.

The glass doors to the school’s swimming pool made Victoria Chase wonder why she was here at all tonight.

 

A reunion was being held for the Blackwell class of 2014 back in Arcadia bay to mark 10 years since their graduation. She had received her invite to attend by an email from Taylor, which suggested that they should both go together to see their old classmates and what they’re like now. Victoria agreed, partly because she was curious as to see how different everyone was, but mostly because it was a good excuse to go and see Taylor again.

Out of all of her high school friends, Taylor was the only one she really had kept in touch with. Their friendship continued after high school and into college as they both attended the same Seattle art school to further pursue photography. Both Victoria and Taylor attended the same classes and both graduated the same year. Despite this, they became more distant after college, however, as Victoria chose to remain in Seattle to help with the running of her parent’s gallery, the “Chase Space”, whereas Taylor chose to move back to Arcadia Bay in order to help care for her mother. The two would regularly meet up in Seattle if Taylor was ever visiting, and Victoria relished the phone calls and texts the two would exchange as she was still living by herself in a studio apartment that she rented. She wouldn’t admit it, but she missed living in the dorms as it gave her somebody to talk to or at the very least it provided some background noise. She hated the silence of solitary living.

The reality of the situation was that, in her mind at least, Victoria hadn’t changed much since high school at all. She wasn’t really sure why she needed to attend a reunion if so little about her had changed. She was still working in the field of photography, although in the work of curating artists works and organising exhibitions for artists rather than being the artist herself. Her looks hadn’t changed much either, with her short blonde pixie cut remaining in the shape reminiscent of when she was still a teenager. She still considered herself very attractive, and she worked hard to maintain that standard. Her clothing was as to be expected - impeccable and expensive. In fact, she had gone out especially and bought a new outfit for this event, a beautiful low cut red gown which she accentuated with bangles and a gold necklace which she had received after graduating college as a gift by her parents. In a way, it made up for the fact that her parents weren’t able to be there for graduation, but she was still somewhat bitter. All together, her outfit was her statement that she was still Queen here.

Victoria knew that the invitation didn’t state dress code, but she would be damned if she were to turn up looking anything less than perfect, even if it meant overdressing at a casual event. She was a Chase after all, and she knew she had to be flawless. Besides, 10 years on, she still wanted to demand the respect and attention of her peers. She still wanted to be the Victoria Chase that was the centre of attention at a party, as pathetic as that may have sounded for someone in their late twenties.

She decided on one more cigarette to calm her nerves before she entered, yet another habit she hadn’t dropped completely since picking it up at Blackwell. The reunion had been jointly organised by some Blackwell alumni, mostly Dana’s work from what Taylor had let on, and also by the Blackwell board as well. Due to this, the reunion was being held in the school’s swimming pool complex. Why they would host such a mundane event here was beyond her comprehension, but she assumed it was because it was the largest space on Blackwell property that wasn’t outdoors, and luckily it wasn’t an outside event because the harsh November weather in this part of Oregon would have made it unbearable and she doubted anyone cared enough to stand outside in the freezing cold just to talk to one another.

 

As Victoria opened up the double doors to the pool building, she was enveloped by a pleasant wave of heat from the school’s heating, and then by the much less pleasant smell of chlorine from the swimming pool. The strength of the sterile smell caused her nose to involuntarily screw up, but she hoped she would get used to it soon. As she entered the foyer, Victoria caught sight of a man she didn’t quite recognise in a suit sat behind a table draped in a velvet and littered with pieces of paper and pens. She assumed he was probably school faculty roped into working the event. A sign on the table indicated it was the reception desk for the event. She assumed he was probably checking invitations for the reunion, although why anyone might gate crash a school reunion was beyond her.

Victoria moved over towards the table and placed her manicured hand onto the table, drumming her nails to garner the attention of the somewhat distant man working at the desk.

“Hi, I’m Victoria Chase, I’m here for the Blackwell reunion”

The man at first blinked, and then nodded toward her and blew a lock of hair out of his eye as he looked down at the table. He scanned the pieces of paper for a second, shuffling them until he then looked up towards her yet again. He smiled, but it was forced.

“You’re fine to come in. We have stickers for you to write your name on if you want. Feel free to borrow a pen if you need one.” relayed the man, who gesticulated wildly in the air with a pen.

Victoria just hummed an affirmative and took the pen from his hand. She proceeded to move down the table toward the roll of blank stickers and began to write her name in her most elaborate cursive. Before she peeled it off however, she crumpled it up in her hand. Most people would be able to recognise her anyways and it’s not like if anyone she didn’t know would care what her name was. It wasn’t worth ruining her outfit with a cheap sticker so that people she didn’t care about would know her name. She tossed the crumpled sticker in the nearest trash can and carried on towards the pool. She decided the best course of action would be to get something to drink, and soon. Even her own thoughts sounded bitchy tonight.

She headed on through to the pool via the office, which she was eternally grateful for as it didn’t mean a visit to the changing rooms. She could barely stand the overbearing chlorine smell, much less the smell of, well, whatever changing rooms tended to smell of.She pushed open the door to the swimming pool, and as she came out the other side, she was greeted by the welcome sight of the refreshments table directly in front of her. From what she could see, the drinks on offer tonight were mostly alcoholic, which was quite alright from her point of view. Most of the conversations she imagined having would be much easier if she was drunk anyways. It would make her seem like less of a bitch, too. Most of the people were talking either side of the pool, and the far end of the pool was set up with tables and chairs. It wasn’t as extravagant as a Vortex club party, but she could make her own fun without the need for all the drugs - hopefully.

She pushed her way through the crowd of unfamiliar faces until she could grab a glass of white wine for herself from the refreshments table. As she weaved her way out of the crowd, careful not to spill her glass, she spotted exactly the person she had been waiting to see.

“Taylor! You made it”

Taylor turned around and waved. She made her way toward Victoria and greeted her with a brisk one armed hug, as they were each holding their own glasses and trying to avoid spilling wine on each other. Taylor was dressed up for the event too, in a short white dress that hung of the shoulder and matching white heels. Victoria thought that she looked great. She wore her hair shorter than Victoria remembered seeing last, but she thought it suited Taylor more now that she had seen it up close.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. It’s great to see you here, Vic. I almost didn’t think you were going to show up”

Victoria raised one eyebrow as she took a sip from her own glass. It tasted like crap but she remembered that this isn’t some fancy event. She just continues smiling.

“And why not? You don’t think I enjoy passing judgement on my classmates as much as you? I love your new hair by the way, it looks good on you Sweet T.”

Taylor smirked and nudged Victoria on the shoulder. Victoria smiled back as Taylor finished her drink.

“Thanks Vic, I thought it was time for a change. I’m glad you like it. But really I just thought you might be busy with work is all, ” Taylor replied. “even I struggled to make it and I live barely 10 minutes away. You, however, have to drive such a long way to get here-” 

“I know, but I felt it’s something I should do. Besides, you always come out to Seattle to visit me so I thought I would save you the five hour trip and meet you here. Anyway Taylor, seeing as you got here early, have you seen anyone at all yet?”

Both Taylor and Victoria took a pause to drink whilst Taylor thought it over. As Victoria looked around, she couldn’t really see anyone see recognised. Probably people who did the science track at Blackwell, she figured, because the arts side of the school rarely mixed with the sciences.

When Taylor had emptied her glass, she responded “I saw Hayden earlier actually Vic, it was weird to see him when he’s not high or surrounded by those two girls he had following him about. I had a talk with him and he seems alright. He got a pretty comfy job working in business management in California, actually.”

This didn’t come as much of a surprise to her at all. Victoria always knew that Hayden wouldn’t end up working in photography. He never showed that much passion for the art, as pretentious as that may be. Then again, not many people in her class did. Realistically, only Maxine and herself really had a chance in photography. Everyone else was either too technical and had a lack of passion, or were too spontaneous with a lack of real composure or forethought. Her own work, at least in her eyes, was a mix of both. But then again, she wasn’t the one taking the photographs anymore was she?

“- and I also saw Courtney as well. Her and Max were hanging out together over by the far end of the pool. They were talking to Warren and Brooke. Apparently Warren and Brooke have been going out for a few months now. I think they both work at the same laboratory up in Portland. It took them long enough, like seriously, 10 years until they finally work up the nerve to ask each other out-”

“Yeah, that’s pathetic really. Warren always seemed strange to me but maybe he finally got over his obsession with Max after all this time. Speaking of Max, Courtney and Max huh? What were they doing together?” Victoria inquired. She knew she was interrupting but Taylor listened anyway. Victoria knew that Taylor didn’t mind too much, she wasn’t trying to be rude, just diverting the conversation back on topic.

“I actually didn’t speak to them, I just sort of watched. We could go find them and talk to them if you want, I’d like to catch up with Courtney and I’m sure you’d like to speak to Max~” Taylor sing songed the last part with a wink at Victoria’s expense, and Victoria just groaned. She’d regretted ever telling Taylor she actually liked Max, even a little bit. It made her look weak, and Victoria Chase wasn’t weak. But it was true, sadly enough, that she did like Max - a lot. In fact, and luckily Taylor never found out, she asked Max out after a week of flirting and typically un-Victoria Chase like acts of romance to win her over. Max turned her down, but secretly she was glad. It wouldn’t have lasted long anyways.

“Fine Taylor, but not because of that. I’m interested to see if Maxine’s photography career has lasted or not. Last I heard she was making submissions to some decent galleries, but I never really cared enough to ask her. I know you’d like to catch up with Courtney as well so if you know where they are, you can lead the way Taylor.”

With that, Taylor grabbed her hand and led her through the crowd and round the left side of the pool. The way her hand felt when it was held made Victoria smile, and she smiled as their fingers intertwined together. The sound of talking was the loudest thing audible around her, much different to her memories of deafening bass from the Vortex parties held here. As they went round the side of the pool, she spotted a few familiar faces in the crowd. Alyssa and Stella were talking and laughing and oh god, somebody’s spilt a solo cup full of beer all over Alyssa’s blouse. Victoria can’t help but laugh, and when Taylor turns round she laughs as well. 10 years and Alyssa’s luck is still that bad, it’s almost pitiful.

 

She is dragged further on by Taylor’s leading arm until she spots Kate behind the crowd ahead talking with a man that she doesn’t recognise. Kate and the man are holding hands and standing close together. Good for Kate. Victoria tugged back on Taylor’s arm, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. Victoria nodded to Taylor in the direction of Kate and Taylor gave her an encouraging smile. They pushed through the dense crowd and the two ambled over to where Kate and the man were standing. Victoria moved closely to Kate and nudged the back of her shoulder.

“Hey Kate, how are you doing?” Victoria takes the lead because, admittedly, she dragged Taylor over here and maybe it’s Victoria that really needs to bury this hatchet soon. The voice in her ear causes Kate to turn away from the man and look over to her and Taylor. Victoria can see her surprise at first, but Kate doesn’t look angry, rather pleasantly taken aback which is a positive. Victoria again took a look over at the man next to her and tries to work out if she recognised him from school. A good few seconds of investigative work came up with her not really caring.

“I’m fine thanks Victoria. Oh you must be wondering who this is-” Kate gestures subtly to the man to her right, a short man with swept over blonde hair and black framed glasses. He has that sort of calm and sensible vibe to him. He’s wearing fairly modest clothing, a white shirt and khaki trousers. He seems bland, but probably he’s nice and normal. He rather resembles what a male version of Kate would be. “This is James, he’s my boyfriend. James meet Victoria, Victoria meet James.”

“Nice to meet you, James”Victoria extends her arm out for a handshake, because she doesn’t really want to upset Kate by maybe overstepping a boundary. She wasn’t really sure what could upset Kate but she knew she really didn’t want to right now. This was time to offer the olive branch, not set it on fire.

“The pleasures mine” James takes her hand for a handshake, and she sees Kate smile. The sight makes Victoria feel slightly happier, and maybe Kate doesn’t hate her after all these years like she had imagined. That’s a reassuring thought.

“So, Kate, what do you do now? I’m sure you must have found good work?” Taylor asks tentatively, and Victoria is glad that Taylor is making an effort, because they really were assholes to Kate in senior year. Taylor probably appreciates the ability to talk it out with Kate as much as Victoria does.

“I actually do some of the illustration work for children’s books now. The office I work at is in Seattle. A lot of my work is being published this year actually in a new series of books. I mean, I still do all the charity work as well for my church, which is where I met James actually. It’s really rewarding and I love what I do. What about you two, what are you both doing?”

“I’m not actually working at the moment Kate, I was managing a shop here before my mother’s illness relapsed. I’m just helping with her recovery best I can at the moment”

After Taylor had finished, Kate looked at her with an empathetic smile. “I’m so sorry Taylor, I hope that your mother gets better. I remember she wasn’t so well even when we at Blackwell. We’ll keep her in our prayers.”

Taylor just smiled and nodded. The warmth in Kate's voice showed her sincerity in her speech. Neither her or I were particularly religious, but we could understand that this meant a lot coming from someone as devout as Kate. I smiled fondly as Kate then began to gaze at me.

“What about you, Victoria?”

“What about me?”

“Where do you work now?”

“Oh, right. I work in Seattle as well, at my parents art gallery. I do a lot of the negotiations with the artists and curate a lot of the artwork which is hung up there. I don’t really do a lot of photo taking anymore, sadly, but it’s still enjoyable to work with such great artists everyday. If you ever want to visit, I’d be more than happy to show you around Kate.”.

The wide, sincere smile that Kate gave her indicated that her answer was a definite yes and in Victoria’s personal opinion, the hatchet was well and truly buried. After the initial awkwardness, they made friendly small talk and for a few more minutes it felt normal. Kate and Victoria exchanged mobile numbers and they made sure they could keep in touch for when Kate would visit the gallery. Victoria was starting to feel glad she had come here, because not only was she hanging out with Taylor again but she and Kate were on good terms. The feeling of guilt she had for bullying Kate had been lifted by how pleased Kate seemed to talk to her, and it seemed Kate was equally pleased to forgive her as well. Taylor and Victoria said their goodbyes and Taylor once again grabbed her hand to lead her back on track. Victoria had almost forgotten completely about trying to find Max, but she blamed that on the second glass of wine she had gone through with Kate. It was pleasant to see Kate live a little like that.

 

They surprisingly found both Max and Courtney close together in the middle of the crowd near to the drinks table only 5 minutes later. Both Max and Courtney were drinking and laughing together, which surprised Victoria mostly because she never thought Max would ever touch a glass of alcohol ever. Max still looked pretty, in that waif hipster sort of way she did. Her brown hair was slightly more well kept, and the way it was held up at the back highlighted her feminine features. She hadn’t stopped wearing her skinny jeans, but her shirt was actually designer brand - Marc Jacobs. This only peaked Victoria’s interest in what Max was doing now because Max’s new fashion sense wasn’t cheap. Courtney too was wearing off white colour jeans and a dark blue long sleeved blouse, accentuated by a gold necklace. If anyone knew high fashion, it was Courtney Wagner ; it even had Victoria a little bit jealous at how well Courtney could pick outfits out. It was part of the reason they hung out together in the first place.

Victoria and Taylor called out to the both of them, and Max and Courtney gladly came over to talk. Victoria could tell Max’s smile was shy, but when Courtney smiled towards Max she could sense Max had relaxed a fair bit. That was strange.

“It is so good to see you two, I was looking for you both but I couldn’t find either of you! I never thought I’d see the rest of our little trio again! How are you guys?”

Courtney was still eager as ever to talk, but it was nice. Her voice hadn't changed at all since Blackwell, still sounding very upbeat and happy. It had more weight to it, though, so obviously Courtney had grown a backbone in a decade which was admirable. Honestly, Victoria never really had a problem with Courtney, she just often tried too hard to make conversation. In a way, it probably Victoria being overly dismissive more than Courtney being overbearing. There isn’t much wrong with that, it was just a bit too much for her liking sometimes. 

Victoria and Taylor responded with the same obligatory ‘good thanks, how are you’ answers that were given out at events like these and they just made easy conversation which was a relaxing change. Max and Courtney both talked to Taylor and asked about how her Mom was doing, which was nice of them. It’s good to see how Taylor lights up when people wish her mother well, and it’s good so many people care about her. As time went on, Max also eased herself into the general conversation when Courtney would talk and prompt her with questions, allowing Max to have a chance to talk and make awful jokes. It was good to see Max wasn’t as shy as she was back in high school, she really was a wallflower at Blackwell. Courtney was being very friendly to Max though, which was odd but not unwelcome. Victoria would have to bring this up later with Taylor to see if she'd noticed the same.

“Courtney, I never heard about what school was like for you after Blackwell? What did you study?” Asked Taylor. Courtney smiled and pointed down at her own outfit and looked back over to us.

“I went to study fashion design in California, and then further at the Academy of Art university. Everything I’m wearing is a line that I’ve designed myself. I’ve even managed to get a major buyer from a department store interested in my designs. It’s so amazing I couldn’t believe it”

Victoria was more than impressed, actually. Courtney had gone from a Vortex wannabe to a up and coming fashion designer? And here was Victoria, admiring clothes that Courtney Wagner had designed herself. Maybe Courtney was the most successful out of the three of them after all, good for her. Considering Victoria gave so much of her work at school to her, it can’t be argued she hasn’t worked hard enough for it.

“Congratulations Courtney that’s amazing. I can’t believe you are doing so well. I’d love to see some more of your designs, if you’d want to show me them, that is.”

Courtney motioned Taylor over to her and scrolled through images of her clothing line on her phone, leaving Victoria and Max to make awkward small talk. But small talk was just that, and Victoria was getting bored of the same sort of dull questions. So instead she decided to ask Max exactly what she had wanted to ask her this whole time. Victoria very desperately wanted to see if Max hadn’t done as well as she had, and maybe it was because Max stood her up, or maybe it was because Victoria’s ego needed a boost. At this point, Victoria was too drunk to care why she needed to know.

“So, Caulfield, did you ever go any further with your photography career? I never heard much about where you went or if your submissions to galleries were successful. Hopefully you didn't squander your talent, did you?”

Her question caught the attention of both Courtney and Taylor who looked over at her. Victoria was slightly pleased that she could sound so much like her old self, commanding and confident, but was immediately confused when Max yet again turned round to Courtney. Max leant over and whispered in her ear, and Courtney grinned and nodded. What could they possibly-

“Victoria, I’m not really ‘Caulfield’ anymore.”

Max was grinning from ear to ear, and both Victoria and Taylor looked at each other in confusion. In unison the two questioned her again

“What?”

 

Max lifted up her ring finger to show an ornate diamond ring, followed by Courtney presenting her own hand in the same way. It too had an ornate ring much the same. Max's hand came over and gently held Courtney's. Maybe this was a joke? If it was Victoria didn’t get it. Taylor squealed but Victoria was still confused. What-

 

“Well, Victoria, I’m -“

Max paused and nervously looked over toward Courtney, but she smiled as Courtney wrapped her arms around Max and leaned in for a chaste kiss on the lips.

 

“It’s Maxine Wagner now”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who'd have expected that, huh?  
> *looks at tags*  
> oh


	2. High School Dances and Dreams of the Future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we get into the backstory between this unlikely duo. 
> 
> I'm glad I've got so much room to work with this. I'm really enjoying working with the softer side of Courtney that came to Max's aid at the Vortex club party in the game. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Taylor was the first to break the thick silence with a shriek of joy.

She immediately pulled Courtney into a tight hug, then pulled Max if for one much the same afterwards. Victoria was still trying to process what this all meant, because her brain was lagging way far behind. The way Max and Courtney looked at each other so passionately, the way that their eyes gazed so fervently into each others - Victoria knew what they had was true love. Yet, when she tried to imagine them being together, being married even, her brain just struggled. It was like her brain couldn't make sense of it. She would need an explanation if she were to understand any of this. 

For now though, she just smiled politely and watched as Max and Courtney gushed about married life and what it was like living as a couple to a very attentive Taylor. Taylor had not wasted any time before asking why Max had chosen to take Wagner as her last name, and was given the answer that Max had really liked how it sounded when people said it and that she thought it sounded pretty. Taylor made an effort from then on to call Max by her full name, partial teasing but also to see how it sounded. By the amount of times she had said it, it seemed Taylor really enjoyed calling her Mrs Maxine Wagner now. Max looked embarrassed and would blush more every time she heard it, but Victoria didn’t miss how Max still smiled at the way Taylor said it. It might have been because she still didn’t like being called Maxine, but Victoria thought that it was probably due to the fact that Max might still be getting used to having a different last name. In a way, she could empathise with how Max was feeling. She knew it would be difficult for her to stop being a Chase after so long, not that it would necessarily be an unwelcome change.

As the conversation between Taylor and Courtney slowed down, Victoria decided that she would have to get some answers before the end of the reunion. This whole situation puzzled her and she wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly until she was able to work it out in head. She ran through the words of her next question in her mind a few times, attempting to sound as polite as possible and without sounding like an asshole to them either. When she was satisfied with her wording, Victoria straightened her body to face the couple and put on her most convincing, winning smile.

“Courtney, It’s great to see you so happy with Max and it sounds like everything is just great for you. I couldn’t be more pleased that the two of you are married now. But, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you both end up meeting? I think that I can speak for all us when I say that we-” she gestured with her hand toward Taylor and herself “-never saw you two together much when we were at Blackwell.”

Courtney exchanged looks with Max and for a moment Victoria thought she’d get another suitably surprising answer like earlier. She was sure she that she wouldn’t be able to handle another bombshell being dropped on her tonight. After a second of silent glances exchanged between the Wagners, Courtney turned back to face her, she began to rub at the back of her neck with her arm and gave her a tight lipped smile. 

“It’s kind of a long story Vic, if I’m being honest. If you want to hear it, we should find somewhere to sit for a bit while Max and I tell you. It saves us standing in everyone’s ways all evening.”

Victoria thought it over and nodded in agreement “Sure, that sounds fine by me. There are some tables set up nearby anyways” Victoria pointed over toward the groups of plastic chairs and small fold out tables set up in the corner of the pool near to where the refreshments were. Most of the tables in the corner were free, except for a group which she assumed to be the former skater kids. At least, they might have been. They looked as unkempt and dishevelled as they had done ten years ago. Maybe people don’t ever really change, thought Victoria. Victoria straightened her expression and glanced back over at Courtney and Max.

“If you two want to go and find somewhere to sit, Taylor and I will go and grab some drinks for the four of us.” she inquired. Victoria was secretly hoping she could get Taylor alone for a moment, she needed to ask her something that might not go down well if the other two were around.

“That’d be great, thank you Victoria. We’ll meet you over by the table. Oh and we’ll have whatever the two of you are having to drink, if you don't mind” replied Max kindly, and she gently took Courtney’s hand into her own. Their fingers interlaced and Max led her wife over to a free table near the back corner. Victoria watched as they walked off and finally noticed how different the two were from the last time she had seen them both. Max hadn’t gotten too much taller, but Courtney had definitely grown a few more inches. The size difference between the two was certainly noticeable as they walked away. When she had seen the two finally choose a table to sit at, Victoria realised she had Taylor alone, and she signalled to her that she wanted her to come over.

“What’s up Victoria?”

“Taylor, what do you think about all this? Aren’t you a little bit confused about the fact that Courtney and Max of all people are married? I’m trying to comprehend it but I really can’t. Doesn’t it seem surreal to you Sweet T?”

“Vic, you know I love you, but you have to keep an open mind to this. I honestly don’t know why you can’t accept this. They look so happy together, right? We should be happy for them. We weren’t exactly the greatest to Max and Courtney back in the day either. The least we can do is be supportive and not too intrusive of their relationship”

Victoria sighed, because Taylor had a point. The amount of times Victoria had been harsh to Courtney at Blackwell was unfair. The same could be said for Max, whom she had often given shit for just existing near her. That was probably another reason Max didn’t give her the time of day. Maybe this was her karma, considering her high school crush fell hard for somebody who she considered her ‘slave’. How ironic. But Taylor was right, they did seem happy together.

Following the brief conversation, Taylor and Victoria made their way over towards the drinks table and grabbed two glasses of white wine each, and hurried eagerly over to where Max and Courtney were sitting. The two at the table were sat close together with their hands held above the table. Max was whispering something into Courtney’s ear, causing Courtney to grin and then kiss her on the cheek. When Taylor handed them their drinks, they let go of each other to take their glasses. After a minute of drinking and the repetitive drumming sound of Victoria’s nails on the table’s surface, Victoria placed her glass down a little more forcefully than she intended. This sound of the glass on table collected everybody’s attention and brought it back to her, and Victoria was glad she could get this evening back on track.

“So Courtney, you told us that it was a long story. If you want to tell it to us you should probably get going soon”

The way Victoria said it was almost blunt but neither Max nor Courtney took it badly. Rather, Courtney nodded in her direction and placed her glass down on the table carefully, once again taking Max’s hand in her own. Max turned toward her and gave her wife a reassuring smile, causing her to relax her posture and ease up in her seat. She took a quick look at her wrist watch and then looked up at Victoria

“Yeah it is actually, you have a point considering how late it is. It looks like we lost track of time with all the gossiping, so I guess I should cut to the Chase.”

The exaggerated pun had Max snickering and Courtney looking extremely proud of herself. Victoria just groaned again and urged Courtney to continue, the night wasn’t getting any younger. Maybe Max wasn’t the good influence on Courtney she thought she might be after all.

“Well, I guess everything started back when we were at Blackwell. I think I first talked to her properly when Max came to ask about one of the Vortex parties earlier in the school year. It was while I was on desk duty in the hallway handing out fliers to everyone. Initially I treated her like crap, because I thought that maybe what you had told me was true, Vic. I thought she was really this obnoxious person. But when she came up to me she started asking about what she would wear if she were to attend because she noticed that I always dressed up. She asked me about the Vortex dress codes, and I was surprised she could recognise high fashion. I thought that maybe Max could be good company, so I offered to give her a makeover for the party.”

“Courtney, that’s such a cute thing to do! Did you take her up on her offer, Max?” Taylor inquired eagerly. By her posture, Victoria could tell that Taylor was as eager as herself to hear this. Taylor practically had her upper body draped across the table, hanging onto Courtney’s every word. Max set her drink down, obviously having not expected the question, and sat up to look more attentive. Max cleared her throat and answered her question softly.

“I didn’t want to miss out on such a kind offer, so of course I did. That night I turned up to Courtney’s dorm room about two hours before the party. She seemed really happy to see me, and I felt giddy while I was around her. We sat and talked a bit about ourselves for a while, talking about fashion and photography and fashion photography. She helped me pick out an outfit with clothes she wasn’t going to wear, and then she did a really good job on my makeup. That night she made me feel beautiful, because not only did she make me look good, she took so much of her time that night on making me look amazing. I noticed the way her brows furrowed when she would do my makeup, and it showed how much she was concentrating on making me look good. Her expertise with her clothing and brushes showed how I was like her muse. That night Courtney made me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world”

At the admission, Courtney smiled and leant over to kiss Max on the cheek, eliciting a giddy giggle from Max. Victoria just looked dumbfounded. So this whole relationship had all started under her nose at Blackwell, and she hadn’t even suspected a thing. No wonder Max had stood her up if she had feelings for Courtney at the time. She couldn’t really be mad though, even she was starting to feel warm and fuzzy inside. To hear Max sound so nostalgic made Victoria repress a smile. Victoria considered that they must really be happy together, and the couple at least deserved that. Victoria gazed over at Taylor and she could swear she saw a twinkle in her eye. Taylor was smiling softly Courtney’s way, and it would make sense considering how close the two were at Blackwell. Courtney was more Taylor’s friend than her own anyway. Courtney responded with an equally sincere smile toward Victoria and Taylor.

“I think it was that night I realised that I might’ve really liked Max. Talking to her was so nice and I felt I could just talk about whatever I wanted to and she’d listen. I loved hearing her stories about taking photographs, and she told me she loved when I got passionate and rambled on about my fashion”

“You know I still love it when you do that, Court”

Max wrapped her arms around her wife’s shoulders and pulled her in tight, giving her a lasting kiss on her lips. Victoria could sense the passion building as Courtney began to wrap her arm around Max as well to hold her in tight. As ‘cute’ as the whole pet name and kissing was, Victoria could only take so much PDA today before she threw up. She decided upon an exaggerated cough, and winked at Courtney when she made eye contact. Courtney could only blush a deeper shade of red at the realisation that they had gotten far too intimate.

“Right, sorry about that. I invited Max as my personal guest into the VIP section for all future parties and we spent plenty of time talking and partying together. I had to grill the Vortex on the door when they wouldn’t let her in, but Max said she didn’t mind. She thanked me for defending her and from then on I wouldn’t let anyone talk down to her if I could help it. Max was really great to have around as a friend and I decided that I wanted to see her more if I could. Max and I began to meet up more often outside of parties in each other’s dorm rooms and outside of school as the year went on. We would organise a lot of study sessions together, and we would exchange notes on our subjects. Max helped me a lot with my photography to the point where I managed to get a really good grade by the end of the year. I felt like I owed her for what she had done, so I asked if she wanted me to give her a special makeover for the end of year prom.”

“I accepted the offer graciously.” Max explained fondly “and I felt so fortunate that Courtney would want to dress me for such an important event. Courtney did most of the work in preparing me for prom and I was glad she could help because I was clueless. She helped me choose the prettiest sleeveless blue dress for the party, and she spent like an hour on matching the colour of my dress to my eyeshadow. It was amazing, and by the time of the prom we both looked fantastic. That night in her dress, I knew in my heart that Courtney was gorgeous. I was surprised that she didn’t have anyone to go with to prom when she was looked so good. We decided that because we didn’t have anyone else to go with we’d go to prom together as friends. When we turned up, we mostly just talked with other couples at first, but as it went on we began to dance together and laugh a lot. When the music slowed down and the couples danced together, however, Courtney and I came together and slow danced like the other couples in the room. She led me in the dance, and I rested my head on her shoulder as we gracefully moved around. As the song faded out, I looked at her in the hazy orange sunlight and I realised in that moment that I had fallen for her. I think she must have thought the same, because we both gazed into each others eyes for what felt like eternity. I took the risk and leant in, because it felt like the right thing to do. She responded the same by meeting me halfway and kissing me softly on the lips.”

Taylor elicited an audible squeak and her eyes widened in wonder. Courtney and Max both looked rather sheepish at the recalling of the event, but they both seemed pleased that they had told them. Maybe keeping it quiet from her and Taylor had been a weight on their shoulders too. The endearing looks that Courtney shared with Max showed the love that the two of them shared. Victoria almost envied the tangible emotion she could feel from the couple as they cuddled up closer on the seat opposite, whereas Taylor just continued to stare intently at the two, urging them to carry on. Courtney began where Max left off.

“After the kiss, Max took my hand in hers and led me to the side of the party. She looked nervous, but I could tell that I was looking just as nervous as she was. She asked me what this made us, and I responded by asking her if she’d want to be more than friends. I wasn’t sure what I wanted her to say, but the look she gave me reminded me why I had fallen head over heels in love with her. In response to my question, Max stood up on her tiptoes and kissed me again, saying she’d love to be my girlfriend. I told her I’d love to be hers as well. Max and I took each other hand in hand and made our way back to the dance floor and had our first dance as a couple in the autumn haze. In my opinion, it was one of the most romantic nights of my life”.

“I thought that it was very romantic as well. In fact, Courtney and I chose it to be ‘our song’ which we even had played at our wedding.”

Taylor looked over at Courtney with a devious smirk on her face

“Didn’t think you would be the sort of person to have a special song, Courtney. You’re coming across as quite the romantic type”. Taylor’s words caused the intended effect as Max began to giggle and Courtney brought her arms to her face, trying to cover her rising blush. Taylor knew that Courtney was really a sappy romantic, it was nice that Max appreciated her gestures so much. Although the others were busy focusing on Courtney, there was still one thing bothering Victoria however, and she had managed to put her finger on it

“I have to admit, it’s a really lovely story. I can’t believe that you two managed to keep your relationship so hidden from the public eye, but good for you. I’m curious though, what happened to the both of you after high school? Did you have to maintain a long distance relationship?” interjected Victoria. She was becoming fairly engrossed in this now, and she was keen to find out what happened next. Courtney took another drink, and set it down again. She gave Max’s hand a squeeze, but her expression seemed distant.

“Not exactly. Max had received offers to study in fashion photography down in California. Ever since we had started to do our meet ups, I showed Max my interest in fashion and she picked up an interest in becoming a fashion photographer. Max really wanted to pursue a career in it, so I wouldn’t stop her. Max, however, suggested that I should come with her. She said that I would thrive and love the atmosphere there. She even helped me to apply to a fashion design course near to where she was studying in California. In a way, I felt like I would be designing the clothes and designs which Max was being taught how to photograph. It was like our two passions were perfect for each other”

Taylor was understandably animated as she discovered that they had both gone schools near each other. She looked over toward Max and then back at Courtney, trying to get them to talk. She was held in suspense as the two took their time finishing their glasses of wine and pushing them to the side of the table. When they were settled again, Taylor prompted Max to continue with an expectant stare

“O-oh yeah right, oops. When our school placements were decided, Courtney and I organised renting a small place for us to live in California which was close to both of our campuses. We decided on a small single bedroom apartment only a few blocks from where Courtney was studying her fashion design, and only a short bus ride away from my photography school. We thought that it would be best if we shared a room because it would be cheaper, but I think Court just wanted an excuse to bed me as soon as possible” At the joke, Courtney laughed and playfully pushed Max backward, causing the smaller woman to almost fall of her chair. Max climbed back up into her seat and readjusted herself. She ran her hand through her hair and continued. 

“The cost of rent would have meant that we would need to find work outside of school, but the opportunity for us to live together off campus was just too tempting. Considering that in the time leading up to the finals and up to us leaving I mostly stayed in Courtney’s room, it wasn’t like moving in could be too hard. I had already spent a few nights sleeping in Courtney’s bed.”

Taylor raised her eyebrows and gave Max a suggestive wink, which made Max put her head in her hands.

“I didn’t mean it like that, we thought maybe it would be best to not disturb the whole dorms with that. It was hard enough not having the whole school finding us out. I know that Juliet would have spread the news like wildfire”

Victoria agreed wholeheartedly with Max. If there was anyone more nosy than Max, it was Juliet. Max tended to be nosy for personal reasons, however, whereas Juliet seemed to thrive on whatever gossip would keep her godawful newspaper afloat. It was entirely understandable that the two would avoid making it public knowledge, because not only was it a Vortex member involved, but the fact that they were both closeted at the time would have made for a juicy Totem newspaper headline.

“After much preparation and debate, we decided that it would be best if we could move out to California together basically as soon as school ended. It would give us time to ourselves and get acquainted to where we were going to live”

“So how did you to manage to move out without anyone really noticing? Surely somebody would have to have heard?” Questioned Victoria, putting her pride aside and allowing herself to smile. She increasingly found herself becoming more and more interested in finding out about how these two had grown so close. Besides, she still had questions that they hadn’t answered yet. Max returned Victoria’s enthusiasm with an equally wide grin.

“We packed up most of our stuff from our Blackwell dorms into boxes the night before and loaded them into the moving van early the next morning. Our parents didn’t mind that we weren’t coming home for the summer, but it meant we had to organise the moving process ourselves. It was easiest for us to leave earlier in the day so we could that we could reach our new apartment by late afternoon and settle in. We actually left the day before everyone was due to leave, so we didn’t really get to say goodbye to anybody before we left. It wasn’t ideal, but I managed to talk to Kate and everyone I needed to before I left. It wasn’t really like we wanted people not to notice, it just turned out like that in the end.”

“Did you regret leaving before you could say goodbye? You never really got to explain to us about where you were going and you left me and Victoria very confused.” Asked Taylor as she finished her glass and placed it next to the other empty glasses on the table. Victoria also wanted an answer to this, because now that Taylor mentioned it, Courtney did never say she was leaving. Rude.

Courtney smiled and looked assured as she gave her answer

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt any regret. All I can say is that when I looked at Max next to me in my car the morning before we set off for California, I knew in my heart that I was happy to be with her”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought that basically the makeover that Max missed would be the catalyst for their relationship blooming. I hope you guys like where i'm going with this because I was pretty happy with this chapter overall.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment or feedback if you have any suggestions!


	3. Day-dreaming of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have over 10 kudos on this work. Hear me out.
> 
> When I came into this, I never expected to get such a good response. I'm writing a really niche story, and to find out that 14 people liked it enough to warrant a kudos is amazing. For my first ever piece of writing i've ever shared, I'm really pleased with how it's going.
> 
> Enjoy this chapter, we see a daydreamy Max reminiscing about her youth. Daydream Max is fun to write.
> 
> Major edit:  
> Turns out my writing at the start wasn't brilliant, so I changed some sentences so it flows better.  
> Thanks to GrumpyCat42 for the grammar tips this chapter!

As the three women sat around her began to get lost in conversation, Max took the opportunity to take a few deep breaths and relax. Coming here tonight, she hadn’t really been expecting to talk this much, least of all to Victoria Chase. But Max saw the subtle way Courtney’s face lit up whenever she got lost in the moment talking about their memories together, so Max decided she would happily indulge Courtney’s friends’ prying for one afternoon. After all that talking though, Max felt as if she could justify zoning out for just a few minutes. She could use a break to catch her breath, and so she began trying to listen to what Courtney was saying. As she sat there in a stupor, she listened to the way Courtney explained the day they had moved into their first apartment, and Max’s mind hazily drifted back to that eventful July afternoon. The memory of it was still so fresh in her mind, and she slowly drifted off…

_The drive from Arcadia Bay to Northern California should have taken them roughly 8 hours, give or take. The trip had been littered with breaks along the way, stopping off at numerous service stations for bathroom breaks and to swap who was driving. They had even managed to find a small diner off the highway just before they crossed the border into California. Neither of them had eaten since around 8am that morning, so Courtney suggested that they should both have something to eat to keep them going. The atmosphere of the diner was reminiscent of that of the Two Whales, with it’s quaint posters and local memorabilia. Even the food on the menu was similar to that of the Arcadia diner. However, Courtney and Max both were in agreement that the food at this diner wasn’t nearly as good as in Arcadia Bay. Max was sure nothing in the world could ever beat Joyce’s cooking._

_Max had ended up driving for the majority of the afternoon considering Courtney had been the one driving since early morning. Luckily for Max, Courtney’s car was an automatic so she really didn’t need to concentrate that much on driving, all she had to do was not crash and they'd be fine. The highway that they took through California stretched for miles along the winding coastline, and as the evening rolled in and the sun began to set, the vast expanse of ocean on their right began to glisten with a mixture of glimmering pinks and reds. The way the sun fell over the ocean created a vibrant collage of colour in the afternoon sky, with shimmers of gold dancing over the horizon. Max had never seen a golden hour so beautiful._

_Maybe Chloe was right to say that California was like a whole other planet. The way the sky reflected off of the shallow waves was mesmerising and she was utterly captivated. Max would have to take as many photos as she could whilst she was here, because she was sure she'd never seen such an amazing view. The scenic coastline route with it’s enchanting views continued all the way along their journey, until they reached the slip road that led them off the highway and toward the small town in which their new lives awaited them._

_As they entered the limits of the town, Max took note of how different Arcadia Bay was to here. Even though this place was only a few miles out from a national park, all the buildings were sleek and modern. The roads were freshly paved and flat to drive on; the sidewalks were clean and the buildings seemed immaculate. Nearly every rooftop was littered with solar panels and rooftop gardens. The epitome of modern. Arcadia, on the other hand, seemed so much more rural when Max looked back on it. No road in Arcadia was flat or freshly paved and everything there looked like it hadn’t seen paint since it had been built. Here, though, she couldn’t even see one building that looked older than a decade. It probably helped that the area was so close to San Francisco, so people who lived here probably drove in and could afford to build such modern, extravagant buildings. Too bad the traffic from here to San Francisco would make commuting near impossible by car, but luckily for both of them their schools were located in town._

_The GPS indicated that they were a mile out from the apartment block, and Courtney took Max’s hand on the dashboard into her own. They took a right turn down into a small street and saw the moving truck being unloaded ahead. Courtney and Max parked the car in the parking zone out front and began to help the movers shift furniture, boxes of clothes, bags and anything else they could carry into their apartment. Luckily, the complex was pretty small and they were only on the second floor. The modest apartment block looked like the oldest building in this town, with it’s dated yellow painted exterior and cast iron balconies. It really seemed out of place amongst all of the larger, newer high-rises that overshadowed it in the distance. Max thought it was charming._

_When they had entered their apartment, they realised how much better life was going to be now that they had their own place to themselves. The kitchen area was located to the right and openly joined into what was going to be a living room in the near future. The kitchen itself was a lot more modern than Max had originally thought, which was lucky for them. It meant they had one less thing they would have to spend money on. There was plenty of room in the living room as well, considering Max and Courtney needed room for a love seat and huge plasma screen TV. Courtney had often joked about wondering if Max had fallen in love with her for her TV, not her personality. Max said she considered both to be perfect for her, which made her girlfriend laugh each time._

_The movers soon began to move in the heavier objects like the dressers and the shelves that had once occupied their Blackwell dorms. The bedroom was located through a wooden door in the right side of the room, and it contained the majority of both of their furniture. Max had decided she would occupy the left side of the room with her furniture, whereas Courtney could have the right. At least it would prevent them getting their clothes mixed up, not that it really would have been much of a problem for either of them. Courtney suggested that they should find jobs soon, because she really didn’t want to move any of this stuff out of the room if they had to find another place to live. Max couldn’t have agreed more._

_After about an hour, the movers had finished bringing in their furniture and the multitude of cardboard boxes they had brought with them into the apartment. The exhausted couple had decided that they could deal with the unboxing the next day, and consequently decided to call it a day and go to bed. For the first time, Max realised that they had the privacy of their own place, there was no distractions and nothing that could get in the way. No need to worry about what the person in the dorm next door would think; No need to worry about whether the Vortex Club would find out their little secret ; No need to worry about what people would think of them if they knew they were that ‘quirky lesbian couple’._

“Max?”

_The realisation that they were free to do whatever they wanted to do created a new found sense of confidence within her. Courtney must have felt similar, because when Max turned around she found that Courtney wore a mischievous, enticing grin that was ever so tempting. Max asked her if she was ready to do this, if she really wanted to go through with this now that they were alone. Her question was met by a passionate and lasting kiss on her lips that answered her better than words ever could._

“Hello, Earth to Maxine?”

_The long lasting make out session had led to the two of them eagerly shedding their clothing and seeing each other so exposed for the first time. Courtney had looked so beautiful, surrounded by the moonlight which only served to further highlight her natural beauty. The way the light emphasized every curve, every minute detail on her body made her that bit more stunning. Max was in awe, but the expression that Courtney had as she gazed upon her for the first time showed the feeling was mutual. Max had truly felt then that maybe she might be special, too._

_That night, Courtney made Max hers and Max made Courtney much the same. Max hadn’t expected Courtney to be so aggressive, but in a way it felt right that she was. Max had loved the way that Courtney had claimed her neck with harsh bites, not enough to break skin but just enough to leave it tender and bruised. They had no reason to be quiet, not now that they were living as two adults. The air in their bedroom became stuffy and clouded with moans and the sound of sweet nothings being whispered into each others ears. Max wasn’t too sure what she was doing, but they way the Courtney reacted to every touch, every little bit of friction as their uncovered bodies would come together was reassuring enough. The sound of her girlfriend moaning her name was enough._

“Is she okay, Courtney?

_She felt the electricity in the air around them as her skin buzzed, the dull ache in her core refusing to let up. Max needed to release the tension that was building up inside her, and began to try and find a way to satisfy her urges best she could. Her desires were finally met as Courtney began to move her hand slowly across her skin, lower and lower until it reached-_

Max felt a warm hand stroke her cheek and she was brought out of the trance she had found herself in.Her eyes focused and she took a tentative glance around the table and saw that Courtney, Victoria and Taylor were all looking rather concernedly at her. She realised that they must have been trying to get her attention for a few minutes now, so she began to look down sheepishly. The hand that had caught her attention belonged to the woman next to her, and it suddenly dawned on her where she was again. Max straightened her posture in her seat and tried to look as awake and ware as possible. Figuring she should acknowledge those around her, she turned round to her wife and gave her the trademark ‘Help me’ look . Courtney gave a sympathetic smile in response and took it as an invitation to cover for her.

“Don’t worry Max, we were just trying to get your attention. You look pretty tired, and it is starting to get late. We should probably head back to our hotel before I have to carry you back by myself” explained Courtney to the two girls opposite. They still looked somewhat anxious and Taylor responded by turning and whispering into Victoria’s ear for a second, which elicited a tired smile from short haired blonde. Max had tried to read what Taylor had said, but right now she was too tired to have even been able to work half of it out. Luckily, Taylor had turned back to us and gave us a pleading look.

“It’s been so great to talk to the two of you, but you don’t have to find a hotel to stay at. My house is pretty much empty at the moment, and there is a spare room that the two of you could stay in. It’d be much better than having to stay anywhere else in Arcadia Bay, if I’m going to be honest. I would appreciate the company, so don’t feel like you’re intruding.”

Max internally agreed with Taylor. The hotels near here weren’t great, because honestly, no tourists ever come to Arcadia Bay because there’s nothing to do. The hotel’s in the Bay pretty much exclusively cater to truckers. In fact, Arcadia’s finest hotel is probably the motel off the highway about 10 miles south, and even then it’s really not much to write home about. Having made up her mind, Max took Courtney’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She was honestly too tired to articulate what she needed to say. Hopefully Courtney could understand it as her agreeing to stay at Taylor’s house overnight, because she really wanted to go to sleep soon. Max couldn’t deal with trying to book a hotel room right now.

Luckily, Courtney had read her intentions correctly and they had agreed to head back to Taylor’s house. They all left the Blackwell pool at 12:30 and got in their cars at make shift car park over at the sports field nearby. Most people had already left by now, so trying to find their cars wasn’t too difficult. Courtney followed behind both Victoria’s black Mercedes and Taylor’s Prius. Courtney’s car was new, but not nearly as expensive as Victorias. The drive wasn't a long one, and after 10 minutes they had reached their destination.

Courtney pulled up in Taylor’s driveway and she had parked her car behind Victoria’s and Taylor’s. Taylor had evidently moved into one of the new homes in Pan Estates, the Prescott development which had been finished just as Max and the rest had left Blackwell. The first thing Max noticed about the house was it’s size, and when Max looked it up and down she could see that it was big. Really big, in fact. However, as she looked up and down the streets she saw that the houses were exactly the same design and colour everywhere she could see. Max looked at the immaculately cut lawns of each home and how the glistening white walls of the exterior were free from any wear or visible dirt. Max felt that this whole area lacked any sort of soul or charm, and that it was missing that sense of identity and personality that their home had. Much like the blandness of the Prescott family themselves, now that she thought about it.

Victoria and Taylor agreed to share the latter’s bedroom, whilst Courtney and Max would have access to the guest room across the hall. The bedrooms were located on the second floor, with a huge bathroom adjacent. The bathroom was fitted with an impressively large shower, and Max could see the complicated machinery that she presumed Taylor’s mum would need to get in the shower with. She really should let Taylor know again that if she needs any help, both her and Courtney will be there for her. It must be so hard to have to look after your own mother when you’re so young. Poor Taylor.

Taylor had suggested that they shower off before they slept, and that they were fine to borrow anything they needed. Max had thanked her and borrowed a towel before giving herself an ice cold shower to clear her mind. Ever since she had zoned out earlier, Max had been stuck in a constant state of lust. She felt awful and needy and that cold shower had helped rid her mind of thoughts, ones she especially couldn’t act on whilst Taylor and Victoria were next door., and especially not when Taylor was being so hospitable. In a way, it almost felt like being back in the dorms again, except now she wasn’t being constantly tormented by the woman across the hall from her.

Max and Courtney had both stripped down to just their underwear, Max was wearing boy shorts and a modest bra, clearly for function, whereas the black lace attire Courtney was sporting was clearly designed for Max’s pleasure. Max wondered if Courtney had maybe, just maybe wanted to do something a bit naughty when they had gotten back to their hotel. She decided to compliment Courtney on her choice of underwear, and let her know how sexy she thought she looked, but reminded her that tonight she was happy to just lie in bed and try to get some sleep before they flew back to California tomorrow. At this point, Max was so exhausted that she was just happy to wait for sleep to claim her. However, her wife seemed to have other plans as long arms draped across her bare torso. Max could feel Courtney’s warm breath tickling her ear, causing her face to heat up and her eyes to squint open.

“Max, I know you just want to sleep so I’m sorry, but earlier at the table. You’re alright right? I don’t want to wake up to find out you’re not ”

Courtney almost thought Max hadn’t heard her whispering, but before she could ask again, Max had rolled over to look her in the eyes. At first, Courtney was worried she’d woken Max up, but Max just gazed lovingly at her, and gave her a quick kiss before replying. Max loved it when Courtney worried about her, even after all her episodes and nightmares, Courtney still cared about her so much that she’d think to check.

“I’m fine, just day-dreaming was all. Nothing to worry about, Court. ”.

“Alright. So, what were you daydreaming about? I mean Max, really, you looked so intense, and you, like, licked your lips at one point. It must’ve been good” 

“Well, um” Max forced out a small laugh and blushed profusely before she could continue “do you remember everything that we did the night we moved into the apartment?”

“Oh.”

At the admission, both Max and Courtney dissolved into a fit of quiet, tired laughter. Max realised that she had been caught day dreaming about her first time in front of her wife and her friends, and she couldn’t bring herself to care. Max was glad Courtney didn’t mind too much and that she was finding it just as funny as herself. No more words were exchanged that night, Max just returned to her role as little spoon and settled in under the blankets as her big spoon held her gently. That night she had no nightmares to terrorise her, had no fears plaguing her mind. Much like every night she spent in the embrace of her wife, Max's dreams were pleasant. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think?  
> I tried the whole day dream thing to convey what I think is one of the most important days in their relationship. I hope you enjoyed this one, and I've got some more things planned to happen the day after.


	4. Admitting your feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, heres another thing i've done which people might hate but here we go.
> 
> I gave Courtney a kink.
> 
> It is mentioned in one paragraph and it isn't very detailed. I included it to show that Courtney isn't a perfect human being by any means. If you guys don't like it, i'll know not to do it in future. I just thought it'd be interesting character profiling that isn't just aesthetic description. It shows she's human.
> 
> If it's too intrusive or you don't like it, please leave a comment letting me know!
> 
> edit: grammar mistakes  
> Another edit: formatting and repetition errors fixed!!!

For once in her life, Courtney had woken up earlier than her wife. The low November sun shone brightly through the curtains across from where they had slept last night, covering the double bed in a warm blanket of sunlight. On a typical morning, Courtney was the one to wake up late and would have to rush to meet Max downstairs so that they could eat breakfast together before work. This morning, however, they were in no rush to get up early so they could just enjoy the downtime. They had both taken the week off work so that they could attend the reunion, so this was basically a big holiday for them both. 

Courtney felt like maybe she should get up soon, but Taylor had stressed that they could stay for as long as they needed to. She just didn’t want to be too much of a burden on Taylor by staying too long. Besides, the sooner they set off, the sooner Courtney could get back into her own bed with Max. Not that she had slept bad last night, in fact she had managed to sleep quite well actually. It was just strange having to sleep in a room next to your friends again, and she wouldn’t be able to get up to much without the sound travelling through the walls.

As she lay still in the guest room bed, Courtney took a moment to just appreciate her situation. Max was draped across her body, and their legs tangled together where they had slept; her wife’s expression whilst she slept was serene. Courtney couldn’t bring herself to disturb Max right now. Rather, she decided to just continue laying there, watching the way Max’s chest rose and fall and thinking how lucky that she was now that the two of them could share so many more moments like this. She was still getting used to the fact that Max was actually, in fact, her wife now. It still made her heart race every time she thought about how lucky she was to have found love so young. Many people, her parents included, had told her that she was too young to ever get married, but the way Max treated her and loved her so unconditionally told her that she had made the right choice. Even her parents had slowly become more fond of Max over time.

After a while just laying there, Courtney noticed Max starting to shift on top of her, and the arms that were locked around her waist began to loosen their grip. She saw Max’s blue eyes flicker open and start to focus on her. Max began to smile and leant down to give her a quick kiss on the lips before rolling over to the other side of the bed. The two settled down side by side as they took a second to relax, enjoying the sound of nothingness that enveloped them. After they had moved to San Francisco, they had all but forfeited silence at night. Big cities never slept, and even in the early hours of the morning you couldn’t escape the sounds of congestion on the streets below, nor the inconsiderate shouting of clubbers stumbling home at night. Arcadia Bay was the antithesis of San Francisco, with it’s empty streets and lack of nightlife. Even in broad daylight there was barely any noise in Arcadia, and it was sometimes really unsettling. San Francisco felt alive. Arcadia Bay felt like it was on the Prescott’s life support. It was no wonder most of the people who went to Blackwell had moved out ASAP.

Courtney noticed Max stretching out her arms above her head, sitting up and cracking her back. Max stood up, and Courtney unashamedly stared at her wife’s ass as she strutted over to where they had put their bags. After she had stopped gaping, she decided it was probably best if she also got out of bed as well. As she got out of bed, she remembered was still wearing her lacy ensemble from last night. It was too bad that it didn’t have it’s intended effect, but there would be plenty more opportunities for that later. As she approached Max, she saw that her wife was sorting through their travel bag, pulling out a pair of white jeans as well as a black and white striped t shirt. Max got herself out a new bra and boy shorts out of the bag and added them to the pile of clothing on the dresser. Courtney went over to the case and picked out a purple cardigan, handing it over to Max. Max looked at it curiously, so Courtney felt like she had to explain

“It’ll really make the outfit look great, it adds a bit of colour.”

Max raised her eyebrow at Courtney, and Courtney rolled her eyes.

“And it makes you look really cute, Max.”

Max nodded and smiled, taking the pile of clothes onto her arms and placing them onto the dresser. She began to slip out of her underwear and Courtney took it as her cue to begin getting dressed herself.

Courtney picked out something to wear herself from the travel case. She ended up choosing a similar pair of jeans to Max’s, although her pair was a light grey rather than white. This was accompanied by a beige long sleeve shirt and her usual assortment of jewellery. Courtney began to change out of last nights underwear, throwing her panties and bra back into the travel case. She took out a fresh pair of matching blue underwear, much more modest than what she had worn yesterday, and put on them on. She grabbed her beige shirt and buttoned it up just below the collar, and then pulled the jeans up to her waist. They were a bit loose, so she grabbed one of Max’s belts from the case. Max wouldn’t mind if she borrowed one, she always packed a spare just in case. Max was thoughtful like that. Then she picked up her ring from the bedside table and slipped it on her ring finger. It was her favourite part of the outfit.

When Courtney turned round fully dressed, she saw that Max was much the opposite. In fact, Max couldn’t have been any less dressed. She was stood entirely naked, underwear and bra on the floor in front of her. Courtney just stared at Max before she could summon words out of her mouth. Max, however, hadn’t noticed the staring as she had her back to Courtney and was still rooting through the bags. Courtney couldn’t tell what she’d be looking for, so decided to ask.

“What’s going on Max? What are you looking for?”

“I’m trying to find the bag with all the wash stuff in it. I really want to take shower after last night. Could you come help me find it?”

Courtney hummed an affirmative and moved over toward Max to lend her a hand. Courtney had noticed that since they had started living together, Max always needed to shower more often than herself. Not just that, but she was always doing Max’s laundry twice as much as her own. She didn’t really mind though, it was just something that came with the Max package. Neither of them were perfect, and she could appreciate that sweating that much was just something natural that Max did. In a way, it wasn't really off putting to her. Rather, Courtney had begun to find the scent somewhat enticing whenever she smelt it. She had even started to smell Max’s unwashed shirts when she did the laundry, and she wasn’t proud of it. This was something that she really couldn’t tell Max, because there is no way that Max wouldn't find her strange. This would have to be a secret she’d have to take to the grave.

“Max, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if you skipped one shower. It’s not that big of a deal and we’re driving back to California today anyway. I can do the laundry when we get back to the apartment, so it’s fine if you skip one shower.”

“I’m well aware that you don’t mind Court, but I just don’t want to look like a mess around Victoria and Taylor. Unlike you Courtney, I need to work hard to look presentable”

“Flatterer.”

“You know you love it… Ah ha! Found you, sneaky bag!”

Max snatched the small leather bag out of the suitcase and placed it triumphantly on top of the pile of clothes she had assembled. Max gave her a brief kiss on her forehead and then ungracefully hurried across the hall to the bathroom, towel hastily tied around her body. Courtney just sat on the bed and wondered how she had ended up marrying such a massive dork. All she knew was that she loved her dork. Courtney pulled out her phone and began to check her notifications. Max was definitely going to be a while, so she might as well be productive.

After twenty minutes of productively browsing social media and memes on her phone, Max came back into the guest bedroom. She had changed into the outfit that she had picked out this morning and Courtney had to admit that Max was definitely developing her own style. It had been 10 years of work, but Max had finally stopped wearing those graphic deer tees every day of the week. She still wore them some days, however, and Courtney wouldn’t have it any other way. They were a quintessential Max thing, after all.

“I’m loving what you’re wearing Max, you’re looking really good today.”

“Of course I am, when don’t I look fabulous?”

Max’s reply was delivered like a joke, but Courtney could tell there was an underlying tone of inadequacy in there as well. Courtney hated the side of Max that was so self conscious, because to her, Max was perfect. Even Max’s flaws and shortcomings only served to make her love her even more. She shouldn’t have to feel so self conscious about herself when she’s so amazing.

“You know I think you look beautiful all the time, Max. Honestly, I don’t think you could ever make me not think that. I’ll always think that you’re amazing”

“And you said I was the flatterer! Look at you over here being Miss Romantic”

“I’ll think you’ll find that it’s actually Mrs Romantic, Max”

Max giggled at her response and Courtney wrapped her arms around Max to bring her in for a long lasting kiss on the lips. She began to hold her wife a tender embrace, prompting Max to break the kiss and rest her head in the crook of Courtney’s neck. Courtney knew that Max relished physical contact, so she always made the effort to make her wife content with lots of hugs and kisses. It was the best way to show Max that she loved her so much. Max had helped her with so much, whether it was her work at Blackwell, or telling her to follow her dreams or even with just housework. In return, Courtney gave her full support to Max’s photography work and did as much of the house work as she she could. Sometimes, she felt she didn’t do enough for Max and that Max could do better than her. But whenever Max looked at her with those doe-like eyes filled deep with love, Courtney knew that she was enough.

As Courtney held Max firmly in her arms, they heard the loud rapping of knuckles on the wooden door to the bedroom. Victoria didn’t even wait for them to answer, just peeking her head through the doorway. When she saw the two of them embracing, she gave them a ‘friendly’ smile. Courtney felt like it looked almost too forced, uncomfortable even.

“Hey lovebirds, Taylor has ‘requested presence of the Wagner family for breakfast’. Her words, not mine. Get your asses downstairs before food gets cold.”

“Hold up, one second” Max replied, hurrying over to the bedside table to slip on her own ring. She then came back over and took Courtney’s hand and smiled.

“Lead the way, Vic!”

Victoria muttered something under her breath and led them down the hallway. Courtney and Max followed Victoria down the two flights of stairs to the bottom floor of the house. They entered through the archway into the kitchen and were greeted by the scent of bacon and eggs. Courtney could tell that Max would be salivating at the smell of her favourite dish, and it caused her to grin. The table in the kitchen had already been set, and their plates were already at the table. Victoria and Taylor were sat next to each other at the table, both wearing only bathrobes. They had obviously been waiting for them to come down, and she felt a little bit guilty. Max and her took the seats opposite them and they all began to eat.

Courtney assumed that Victoria was probably going to be staying with Taylor after Max and her left for California. It seemed Victoria and Taylor had managed to stay really close to each other after Blackwell. If she didn’t know better, she would have assumed there was something going on between them. Like, they’re sharing beds and sleeping together, and the way Victoria looked at Taylor sometimes looked like the way Max looked at her and she looked at Max. Courtney couldn’t be sure, though. Maybe her Gaydar™ was off and there was actually nothing going on. Still, it’s fun to imagine there was. It would be so scandalous.

For a while, the only sound that could be heard in the kitchen was the sound of cutlery on plates and the thanks for the breakfast. Halfway through breakfast, Taylor got up and made everyone cups of coffee. Victoria and Taylor looked particularly tired, so it was understandable why they’d need the caffeine. Max was obviously the first to finish out of everyone, having demolished her plate of eggs and bacon. She had told Taylor countless times how good her cooking was, and that it was the best thing she’d had since she’d been back in Arcadia Bay. Taylor appeared bashful, but accepted Max’s compliments nonetheless. After everyone had finished, Max and Taylor had taken the plates over to put them in the dishwasher. This left Courtney with Victoria at the table, sat in uncomfortable silence. Courtney decided to make a bit of small talk to pass the time, since Max and Taylor were busy talking over by the sink.

“So, Victoria, how’d you sleep last night?”

“I slept just fine. What about you? You weren’t too occupied with fucking Max last night to sleep, were you?”

Victoria’s expression showed she was pleased with her vitriolic response. Where had that scathing comment come from? Victoria seemed to be so much more personable when Taylor had her anchored down, why was she acting like this now? She was acting like the Blackwell Victoria that used to make fun of her and take the piss out of Max. Max had told her about the time when Victoria had asked her out, so maybe Victoria was still pissed Max and her had fallen in love? That’d be petty, but she wouldn’t put it past Victoria to hold a 10 year grudge. Courtney decided she wouldn’t roll over and take it, so decided to call Victoria out.

“Why are you acting so bitchy all of a sudden? What did I do you?”

Victoria lowered her voice so it was out of earshot of Max and Taylor, and responded viciously. Courtney couldn’t remember seeing her so angry, at least not since they had met up again.

“What you did was walk in on my one holiday away with Taylor. This was supposed to be just me and her, but now Taylor won’t stop talking about you. I could deal with the questions when we were at the reunion, but then she invited you round for the night and she won’t shut up about it. Everything she talks about is ‘Maxine’ this and ‘Courtney that. I just wanted to catch up with my best friend this week, and now I have to put up with hearing about two people I never even cared about from high school. Honestly Courtney, I couldn’t give less of a shit about you and Max. I didn’t even give a shit about Kate, but at least she didn’t ruin my weekend like you have. You’re both still as dull and boring as you’ve always been, being married doesn’t change that. And you know what-”

At this point, Courtney had heard enough. She had been talked down to enough by Victoria back at Blackwell. She was 28 now, she didn’t need to be lectured by Victoria anymore. She wasn’t the boss of her now, how dare she talk about her and her wife like that. Courtney stood up and called over to Max, interrupting whatever Victoria was droning on about.

“Max, honey, it seems that we’ve overstayed our welcome. We should pack our bags and get going. It’s been lovely to see you Taylor, thanks for having us over and cooking us such a great breakfast. You've been a great host but we must be leaving.”

Both Max and Taylor both looked confused, and Victoria had paled in embarrassment. Taylor caught on to what was happening and began to glare at Victoria, who sunk further into her seat. It’s almost like she thought she could hide from what she’d done. This was further emphasised when she covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.

Courtney took Max by the arm and led her up the stairs to the guest room and just started to pack everything they had brought into their cases. Nothing she threw in was neatly folded, Courtney just wanted to leave as quickly as possible. Max was trying to figure out what had happened, and Courtney couldn’t be dishonest to her wife. She listed off to Max everything that Victoria had said to her, and Max looked understandably horrified. Courtney could hear the arguing downstairs and it sounded like Taylor was ripping into Victoria. Good.

It didn’t take them long to get organised, shoving dirty clothes and their phone chargers and everything they had into their bags. When the packing was finished, they both grabbed a suitcase each and made their way down the stairs to the front door. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they found that the door was obstructed by Taylor and Victoria. Taylor was trying to look imposing, but Victoria couldn’t have looked more powerless. Surprisingly, the person to talk first was Max. Courtney was shocked by how confident Max seemed as she straightened her posture and softened her tone.

“Thank you for having us round Taylor, we’ve had a wonderful time catching up with you two. You have Courtney and my numbers if you would ever want to meet up again. It’s a shame we have to leave so soon, but we wouldn'the want to intrude any longer. Would you mind moving so we could get out?”

“It’s been a pleasure Max, it’s been nice to see you and Courtney as well. Before you go, Victoria would just like to say something to Courtney, if she may."

Victoria looked embarrassed, as she should do, and this was the least confident she had ever looked. Her arm was held across her body, similar to the way Max used to do when she was nervous. If she was still a Vortex bitch, Courtney might’ve taken a picture of the sight. That would’ve made her just as bad as Victoria, though, so she decided against it. What was the most surprising to her though was how Taylor sounded so authoritative. It was almost like she was Victoria’s mother scolding her misbehaving child. Probably because no one ever stood up to Victoria acting out when she was a child, and now she acts like a spoilt brat as an adult. Courtney had assumed Victoria would have grown up by now, but she really hadn't changed much.

“Look Courtney, I’m sorry about what I said about you and Max. I didn’t mean it, I was just having meltdown because this was supposed to be a special weekend for me and you kind of threw me off my plans. I didn’t mean to be so aggressive and rude, you know I care about you Court”

The way Victoria said this was so sweet it was sickening. It was almost insulting how she said it.

“Court? Seriously? Don’t call me Court like it makes us friends again Vic. What you said was inexcusable, and as much as I was defending me, I was defending Max as well. What you said about my wife and I was so rude and disrespectful.”

“I know it was, and I’m honestly so sorry about what I said. Look, can we please just agree that I fucked up and put this behind us?”

Courtney looked over to Max for support, and Max looked at her with a pleading expression. She nodded as if to say ‘forgive her’ and that made up Courtney’s mind. Holding a grudge wasn’t healthy, and she didn’t want to make life for Taylor any harder by causing their friendship to deteriorate. Courtney begrudgingly smiled at Victoria, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Fine, Victoria. But this isn’t for your sake, I’m doing this for Taylor. You were so mean to me, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive you for that”

Victoria breathed out a sigh of relief.

“I can understand that you wouldn’t forgive me, I said so many awful things and I didn’t mean any of it. I was just frustrated and I lashed out.”

“You did lash out Victoria, and it was bad. Look, if you really are sorry, you can always give me a call when we’ve both had time to think. For now, though, I’d really like to leave”

“I would like to as well, sorry.” Max chimed in.

Victoria reluctantly moved out the way of the door, and Taylor opened it and held it open for the both of them. Courtney left the front door and walked to the driveway with her luggage, unlocked the car and opened the trunk. She lifted her suitcase into the car and helped Max with putting her own case in. She shut the trunk and turned to see Taylor standing next to her, looking distraught. She didn’t want to leave on a sour note with Taylor, because she hadn’t done anything wrong. If anything, she was one of the most supportive people they had met for their marriage, other than Max’s parents and eventually her own. Taylor didn’t deserve to suffer due to Victoria’s actions. Courtney decided that she should apologise for leaving so early.

“Hey Taylor, look I’m sorry I made a scene back there. I just couldn’t take her insulting Max and me any longer. I didn’t mean to cause an argument between you and Victoria. But if you forget about the argument, it’s been wonderful to see you again.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Courtney. I’ll be honest, I’m partially to blame in all this. I couldn’t stop talking about you two and it must have brought Vic to breaking point. Seriously though, you two are like the cutest couple, so how could I not? Honestly though, please don’t give Victoria such a hard time. She was wrong but I don’t think she meant to be so bitchy. You know Victoria, she can so easily hurt those she cares about when she gets angry.”

“I do, and Max knows Victoria as well. Tell you what, if you two ever find yourself in California and need a place to stay, you know the Wagner household would love to have you round”

“Thank you for the offer, Courtney, I’ll definitely keep it in mind. I still can’t believe you’re the Wagner family now, I’m still getting used to it. There I go again, getting distracted. Maybe Victoria had a point when she said I wouldn’t shut up”

“You don’t need to worry Taylor, I don’t think you were in the wrong. Just smooth things over between you Victoria. Look, you’re welcome to come by anytime, and let Victoria know she’s welcome to come round too. I don’t want to hate her forever, I’d be more than willing to hear her out when I’m not super mad at her. See you soon, Taylor, and give your mom our best wishes. Max and I hope she gets better soon”

“I will do Courtney, just know that you two are always welcome here if you come back to Arcadia. It’s been great to catch up with you again, we should make sure to stay in touch. Have a safe journey home, Courtney!”

“I’ll make sure to text you when I get back Taylor, don’t worry."

Courtney waved goodbye and got into the drivers seat of the car. Max was already in the front passenger seat, and when she sat down Max have her hand a supportive squeeze. Even after all this commotion, Max was still there for her. Courtney leant over the console and kissed Max on the cheek. Max continued to hold her hand as Courtney started up the car. She put the car in reverse and backed off the drive. Courtney began driving down the road, and looked in the rear view mirror to see both Victoria and Taylor waving at them from the driveway. At least Victoria had the decency to look ashamed as she waves goodbye.

Maybe Courtney could forgive Victoria one day.

It wouldn't be today, however, because soon enough they had driven far out of Arcadia Bay and were back on the highway heading back to California.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT.
> 
> I found the opportune moment to show Victoria's distaste for the marriage. I've slowly been building it up and up, but I know it might be a shock. It made sense in my mind, anyways. I can imagine the atmosphere around her just causing a meltdown, so I tried to show it like that.
> 
> please leave feedback so I can improve. Last chapter I got a great comment pointing out grammar mistakes and it was really helpful, thanks grumpycat42!


	5. Returning to 'normality'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter than usual but I decided to just have this here to show their return back home to San Francisco. As usual feedback is always appreciated, and I hope you enjoy!

The drive back to San Francisco was not one the Max particularly enjoyed, but they had to do it. The trip was going to take about 10 hours for them to get back home, so Courtney and herself had decided that they didn’t need to stop at a hotel halfway through. They did, however, have to make plenty of stops at service stations along the way to fill up on caffeine and junk food to keep themselves awake. After such a busy week back in Arcadia Bay, visiting Joyce and some of her favourite childhood locations with Courtney, she was feeling absolutely exhausted. She had decided to take the first few hours of driving whilst she still felt awake, as it meant that Courtney could get some rest as she drove and then take over for the last part of the drive. 

For the first part of Courtney’s drive, Max stared out of the back windows and soaked up the world around them. The Northern hills of California which surrounded the highway were really impressive, and she watched as the world went by around her. So many cars and trucks passed through this highway every day, and Max began to think about how everybody in these cars has their own lives to contend with and their own challenges to face. It was at these thoughts that Max knew she was becoming tired. Tired Max always became too philosophical for her liking.

She decided to give in to her body and shut her eyes, closing the outside world out as she retreated into her mind. Courtney wouldn’t mind if she took a quick nap. Courtney had done exactly the same whilst she drove. Her thoughts began to wander back to the reunion, and specifically how people reacted when they learnt that she and Courtney were now officially married. Most people reacted pretty positively to the news, but a few of her former school friends had reacted a strange way.

Kate, for example, seemed reluctant to accept that Courtney and I could love each other. She only seemed to understand what we meant when we showed her our rings and kissed. After seeing it for herself, Kate’s attitude changed and she appeared to embrace it, asking so many questions about the wedding ceremony and about when we got engaged. It was quite cute, really. Max was glad that Kate was able to find it in her heart to accept their marriage, and it was nice to know Kate wasn’t damning her to hell for being a lady-loving heathen.

James, Kate’s boyfriend, didn’t seem nearly as willing to accept their relationship as Kate had. Max had noticed the intense and disapproving stares aimed at her and her wife as they talked to Kate, and she almost wanted to confront him, but it only would’ve upset Kate and Max didn’t want that. Her initial impressions of him were positive, but the more Max talked to him, the more he seemed to give her the creeps. He’d better not take advantage of Kate, she didn’t deserve any more abuse or awful things in all of her life. The horrors Kate had suffered at Blackwell were enough for a lifetime, she didn’t deserve any more heartbreak.

Warren and Brooke also seemed to take the news in their own unique ways. Brooke had seemed to light up when Courtney had told her, and Max almost laughed as Brooke kept making sure she had heard it right. She knew Brooke had always thought that she’d steal Warren away from her, but the news seemed to settle any fears that Max was a threat to their relationship. Warren, on the other hand, reacted very differently. When the words reached his ears, you could see the disappointment in the way his body sagged and his eyes looked down at his shoes. Max would have almost felt sympathetic, but didn’t. Warren and Brooke were supposed to be going out together; Warren should be focused on Brooke instead of trying to hold onto a high school puppy crush on her. Courtney had noticed this as well, and when Max was brought in for a very obvious moment of PDA, Warren could not have looked more downtrodden. She felt sorry for Brooke, but his reaction still made her giggle.

As Max ran through everything in her mind, she slowly drifted off to sleep. There were no dreams, but she had come to appreciate uninterrupted sleep. For a while, she had suffered from awful night terrors, but when Max had started to sleep with Courtney they had begun to subside. In fact, she rarely ever had them now, and when she did her wife was there to hold her until she would calm down. Everything about her wife had helped to cam her anxieties, and Max was grateful with how comfortable she was with herself now.

The nothingness of deep sleep consumed her, and when she awoke, they were barely 10 minutes away from home. Max gradually woke up, rubbing her eyes and adjusting herself to the light. It was quite dark out, but the bright lights of the road lamps were shining through the window. She sat up from her laying position in the back seat and stretched out. Courtney noticed her getting up in the back, turning her head slightly toward Max but not quite taking her eyes off the road.

“Morning sleepyhead, did you sleep well?”

Courtney sounded quite tired herself. Max wouldn’t mind heading back to bed with Courtney as soon as she got home.

“Not bad, thanks. How’s the driving been?”

“Luckily for us it’s been clear roads the whole way back. I stopped a while back and bought you something to eat, by the way. It’s in the bag by your feet and I thought you’d be hungry when you woke up. It’s not much, but we can make something when we get back”

Courtney must have left her in the back seat when she’d gotten out to get breakfast and somehow she hadn’t noticed her leaving. She must have been entirely spent.

Max was glad that Courtney hadn’t woken her up when they’d stopped off, she wouldn’t have gotten back to sleep otherwise. Max looked down at her feet and saw the white paper bag, reaching down to grab it. She brought it up to her lap and opened it up, finding a croissant inside. Just as Max took the croissant out of the paper bag, her stomach rumbled aggressively. Max blushed at the sound, and she saw the smug smile of Courtney in the mirror. Her wife basically knew her bodily schedule off by heart now, Max was seriously impressed.

Max took a bite out of the pastry, and exhaled in satisfaction. It was really good, and Max didn’t waste any time finishing it. After finishing the pastry and closing the bag as to not get crumbs everywhere, she decided it would be a good time to check her phone. Taking her phone out her bag, she was greeted by the sight of 2 missed calls and 3 text messages. Both calls and two texts were from Victoria, and one text was from Taylor. Taylor’s text had asked if they had made it home safely, to which Max replied that they were home just fine.

Victoria’s texts, on the other hand, were way more apologetic. Max had to read over them twice, because they seemed so strange. She was acting much differently to how

Maybe Victoria really was regretting what she said.

I really regret what I said about you and Courtney. Please find it in your heart to forgive me, I didn’t mean anything I said. Received at 3:09pm

If you want to meet up sometime soon, I’ll be in San Francisco for business next month. I invited Taylor to come with me as an apology for ruining both of our weeks. I’d like to make it up to you and Courtney by taking you out for dinner, if you want. It’d be my treat, let me know if you want to meet up. Received at 3:14pm

Max decided to consult Courtney on this before she gave an answer. After all, Courtney had taken the brunt of Victoria’s anger. It was only fair that Courtney should have the say in it.  


“Hey Court, I just got a text from Victoria asking if we’d like to meet her for dinner whilst she’s in California on business. She says it’s her treat”

“Just by herself?”

“She’s going to bring Taylor with her as well, apparently she felt bad for ruining everything with us and Taylor. She seems like she’s really trying to make up of her behaviour”

“I’ll give her another chance, send her a text back that we’ll organise dinner closer to the time. I swear I’m leaving if she says anything bad though”

“I can understand that, I’ll send the text now”

Max looked back at her phone and drafted a text to Victoria. She deleted it and rewrote it a few times until it sounded right. She didn’t want to sound too formal, nor did she want it to seem too relaxed. Maybe she was overthinking it. She hit send.

Courtney and I would be happy to meet up when you’re out here. Just let us know when you’re coming down and we’ll organise reservations. Let’s put everything that happened behind us and move on. Sent at 7:41

Max locked her phone and put it back in her pocket. They were only a few blocks out from their apartment block, and Max was starting to get excited. The numerous motels they had stayed in across Oregon as they moved around were reasonable, but the beds were nowhere near as comfortable as the one they had at home. The closest she had come to a good night’s sleep was at Taylor’s house, but even then they were limited by their neighbours. Max was looking forward to a return to normality. It was Saturday today, so Max still had all of tomorrow to enjoy with Courtney before they had to return back to work. Not that work was bad or anything, she just enjoyed every moment she spent with her wife. Life is precious.

When they had pulled up to the apartment, Max and Courtney both took a case each from the trunk and wheeled them into their apartment building. Luckily, their apartment complex had elevators, which meant they didn’t have to carry their bags up 6 flights of stairs. When they had reached their apartment, Courtney unlocked the door and led her in. Max breathed in the unmistakable scent of their apartment, Yankee Candle and cleaning supplies, and breathed out contently. Everything was as they left it.

“Home, sweet home.”

Max whispered to herself, and she could see that Courtney was as pleased as her to be back.

“I’m so glad to be back, Max”

“Me too”

Both of them agreed to leave the cases to be unpacked tomorrow, but they still wanted to get some proper food before they called it a night. It was only 8pm in the afternoon, after all, so Max decided that they still had time to get some dinner. Courtney decided to fall face first into the living room couch, so Max decided it was up to her to sort something out. She left her exhausted spouse to drool on their new sofa and made her way to the adjoining kitchen to see if she could rustle something up to eat. However, when she opened the fridge she found it barren. Of course. They had been away for a week so no food shopping had been done before they drove up to Arcadia. Max believed that it was time for desperate measures.

“Court! We’re out of food, do you want to get pizza or something?!” Shouted Max through the kitchen archway. She wasn’t prepared to make a trip to the local supermarket this late at night, so it was going to be junk food or nothing at all.

“Mmhmm!”

The mumbled affirmative, into what Max assumed was the couch pillow, gave her the all clear to order some food. Their local pizza place did really good food, and cheap. She rung up and ordered the usual, half and half with half Hawaiian for Courtney and half Pepperoni for Max. Although they were married and were supposed to compromise, she couldn’t accept ever having pineapple on her side of the pizza. There was only so much she could put up with. After placing the order, Max went to go find her purse and to get the money for the pizza and a tip. After searching around the apartment for a while, Max found her purse in the wardrobe in the bedroom, and took out a $20 note which would cover the cost of pizza and the tip. She slipped the crisp note into her pocket and then went back into the living room.

When she returned, she found that Courtney had settled into the couch properly with their blanket. As she approached the couch, her wife moved her legs to allow Max to sit. She grabbed the remote for the TV and settled under the blanket with Courtney, turning on the TV to a random channel. Max ended up choosing to put on some trashy TV show just to pass the time before the food arrived, and she settled herself down comfortably. Max reclined back on the sofa opposite end to Courtney and both their legs intertwined as they cozied up underneath the soft blanket.

For the next 15 minutes, Max and Courtney both got lost in heated discussion about whether the main character of this show was falling in love with another or whether they were just friends. They both were certain that the main character was being pined over by one of her friends, but they weren’t sure if the main character would reciprocate. This verbal back and forth of wondering what that furtive glance meant, or whether what she said could be construed as flirting was ended by the shrill noise of the doorbell. Max untangled herself from Courtney hastily and threw off the blanket, making her way to the door as fast as she could. When she opened up the door, she handed over the money and took the boxes. Max closed the door and carried the hot boxes into the kitchen and placed them on the counter.

Max was beginning to get out plates when she heard once again the doorbell ringing. She thought that maybe the pizza guy had forgotten something. Who else would be round here this time of night? Courtney was asking who it was from the living room and Max just replied that she wasn’t sure. She put down the plates and made her way back to the front door, opening to find not the pizza delivery guy, but just a delivery guy.

“Delivery for the Wagner’s?”

The man outside the door was holding a tall, thin rectangular box in one of his arms. In the other hand was the tablet with the plastic pen which you had to sign on when receiving packages. Max always enjoyed signing for packages they received, except this time she didn’t know what she was signing for.

“Yes that’s us,” Max replied, somewhat confused. “we didn’t order anything though?”

“This package has your address and family name on it, so I assume it’s for you.”

Max decided not to question it any further and signed for her package. She took the box from the driver into both hands and shut the door with her foot. Max took the box into the living room where she found Courtney sitting up on the couch. Courtney looked at the box curiously and then turned back to Max

“What’s in the box, Max?”

“I don’t know I haven’t opened it yet”

“Oh right, dumb question. Should we open it now?”

"I don't see why not"

Max took her keys from her pocket and cut the tape around the box. Courtney opened the top of the box and pulled out a small vase of flowers. They were a beautiful shade of pink, and the card that came inside the box confirmed that they were a variety of hyacinth flower that bloom this time of year. The flowers had been delivered by a same day flower delivery service, so she could guess who these were going to be from. When Max further inspected the vase she saw that there was a note attached to side. She called Courtney to come over and look at it with her, and when she opened up the note and read the message inside, she found that it was exactly what she suspected. The message inside caused Courtney to scoff an amusement, and Max almost did the same.

_To Max and Courtney Wagner,_

_These flowers are to show that I am truly sorry. In flower language, Hyacinths represent the act asking for your forgiveness, and I felt that this would truly show how apologetic I am for my actions._

_From Victoria Chase._

_Sent from my iPhone._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry October everyone.
> 
> Also past chapter I managed to reach 20 kudos I should say thank you so much. I'm amazed that people even like this fic so thanks!!


	6. An offer you can't refuse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took forever on this chapter, sorry if anyone has wanted to see what's been going on.
> 
> I've been completely swamped with schoolwork, so most of this was done on the bus. I hope you enjoy this chapter, because writing it was great.
> 
> Edits: made paragraphs less long because I'm awful at formatting
> 
> Changed a sentence that made little sense

Three weeks passed, and during that time Courtney and Max had fallen back into their routines. Both of them had to return to their respective jobs when they got back; Max started work again at the photography studio and Courtney was once again back at her office. One unwelcome fact of life was that Courtney didn’t get to see her wife as often as she’d like on weekdays, instead having to make time for each other on the weekends. The inconsistency in Max’s work hours would mean that some days she would have Max to herself for an evening, but others she’d fall asleep before Max would even get home. Due to this, Courtney savoured what little time they had to spend together, whether it be when they would share a bed after a long day or going out on the weekends to one of their local haunts. Each weekend they would do something that one of them wanted to do, like go out to the National Park or visit the pier.

This weekend was an exception, however.

Courtney began to receive a plethora of excited texts from Taylor earlier that week telling her that she and Victoria were coming to San Francisco this weekend. Victoria had also rung ahead and reminded her that she would still be willing to treat the two Wagners for dinner if they’d want to. Max had given Courtney those pleading eyes while she was on the phone, and she was forced to take Victoria up on her offer. The reservations were sent to Courtney by Victoria later that night: a booking for 4 at their hotel restaurant on Saturday at 7:40pm. The text was followed by Victoria emphasising the formal dress code, which Courtney had already expected. Luckily for her she already had plenty of clothing options that she could choose for tonight, as did Max. She was more worried about how tense the dinner would be.

Until that evening though, Courtney had very little to do. She had spent most of the morning in bed with Max as they usually did watching awful shows on their TV, followed by a breakfast prepared by her wife. They had been a pleasant morning in each other’s company, but Max had 'cut it short' by leaving to go and have a hair cut. Courtney was pleased by her own pun in her head, but soon realised how little she had to do. In Max’s absence, she had already done the housework that had been accumulating throughout the week. She had washed all of the plates and silverware from breakfast, as well as some of the cups from yesterday and days before, and she had done the vacuuming around the apartment to make everything look immaculate. Courtney even had time to get the majority of her own and Max’s laundry done as well, even having time to indulge her own desires in Max’s absence.

She still wasn’t completely comfortable with her shirt-smelling kink, but she knew that she enjoyed herself when she did it and that it was’t hurting Max directly. It was no harm done, that’s how she’d justify it to herself. If Max didn’t know, it wasn’t a problem.

Courtney was busy doing the ‘laundry’ when she was brought to attention by the intrusive vibrations of her phone. She looked around the laundry room of the apartment complex, noticing it was still empty as it always is, and turned to look at her phone. Unsurprisingly, Victoria had once again texted to make sure that Courtney and Max would be attending tonight. Courtney could tell Victoria was probably nervous about them not showing, but Courtney wouldn’t turn down a free dinner. Besides, it was a good opportunity to apologise about leaving so abruptly to Taylor.

After responding to a further barrage of texts, Courtney returned to her task. She put the remaining pile of clothes that were in the hamper next to the washing machine, ready to be put in for the next cycle later. When she arrived back at the apartment with hamper in hand, she found that Max was sprawled across the sofa watching the TV. Max got up, however, when she heard the door close and moved over to greet Courtney with a lasting kiss on her lips. Courtney took in Max's new hair as she hugged her wife, and the shorter look which she had gone for was something she was really appreciating right now. Courtney ran her hands through the short, hazel coloured hair which elicited a giggle from her wife. Max pulled away from the embrace and looked at Courtney with eyebrows raised.

“I’m guessing that you like the hair shorter, Court?” Max asked playfully. Courtney had to agree, she did like it: A lot.

“The new haircut really suits you Max, it looks amazing”

The blush on Max’s cheeks whenever Courtney complimented her would never got old, she decided. Courtney brought her in for another kiss before checking the time on her watch. She was shocked to find that there was only about 2 and a half hours to get dressed and get to the restaurant before 7:40. In response to this, Courtney took Max by the hand and led her into the bedroom quickly. Max seemed confused at first, except that when Courtney had explained again what they were doing tonight, she seemed to garner the same urgency as herself. Courtney decided to find something to wear first, whereas Max went off to clean up first.

Courtney opened up the wardrobe and scoured the hangars for something good to wear. She opted to wear something more formal to match the restaurant they were going to, but nothing too elaborate or adventurous. She settled on a dress she had designed herself, a long black dress that exposed one of her legs. It was one of her favourite pieces she had created, and she was excited to wear it out for the first time. By the time Courtney had finished picking out the rest of her outfit for the evening, Max was changed into her own outfit, which was the same ensemble that she wore to the reunion. Courtney did have to admit that it suited Max perfectly, so she could have no complaints.

By the time that Courtney had finished helping Max with her makeup and doing her own makeup too, it was nearly an hour until they had to arrive at the restaurant. They both grabbed their purses, left their apartment and made their way to their car on the street outside. 

The drive to the restaurant took about as long as Courtney had thought it would, baring in mind the afternoon traffic on a Saturday in San Francisco. They parked up and were in the foyer by 7:30 as they waited for the arrival of Victoria and Taylor. For ten minutes they stood talking to each other, aimlessly discussing events that had occurred the week prior, until Max pointed out two heads of blonde hair approaching them.

Victoria was the first to catch Courtney’s eye, dressed extravagantly in a dress that stood out amongst the crowd. The dress was a shimmering emerald green, and Courtney looked upon the way it shone in the lights of the foyer in awe. Courtney knew very well who the designer was, and that the dress was not cheap by any means. Victoria was still here to assert her authority, that’s for sure. On the other hand, Taylor was dressed much more conservatively than Victoria was. Still, Taylor’s short maroon dress and jacket suited her well and wasn’t too eye catching.

The two moved over toward the blonde duo and greeted them amicably. Victoria was acting like she always did around Taylor, Courtney noticed. There were no hateful comments or nasty glares being thrown around, she was just being nice. There was no way she could easily tell if the kindness was genuine, but Courtney wasn’t going to question that just yet. The conversation between the four was friendly enough, and the topics of conversation were more about their lives and what was going on about them than anything to do with their relationships. Maybe that was why Victoria was looking much more relaxed than before. Courtney could understand that.

Their small talk subsided when the call for the Chase party was heard from the waiter. They gathered their things and made there way to their table. Victoria must have really gone all out, because they had arguably the best table in the restaurant. Their little four seater table was in front of the large glass window that looked out onto the small promenade outside. Courtney thought that Victoria must have had to grease a few palms to get such a good table on a weeks notice, but Courtney wasn’t going to complain. The view was admittedly amazing, and Courtney looked out on the world going by.

She was brought back to her senses as Max slid her arm around her shoulder and pulled out her chair for her. Courtney sat and watched Victoria do the same, pulling out Taylor’s chair for her before she sat down herself. How classy, Vic.

Victoria and Taylor sat across the table from Max and Courtney, and once again the small talk began. Max was doing most of the talking tonight, which Courtney appreciated. The situation between Victoria and herself was already somewhat awkward, she didn’t really want to stir up tensions this early into the evening. As they began to settle into conversation, the waiter came by and took their wine orders. Victoria ordered the most expensive bottle that was recommended to go with their four course meals, and soon all four of them started to drink.

Courtney began to get more involved in the conversation as she loosened up, laughing and joking with everybody -including Victoria. She listened to her wife talking about her latest photography project to Taylor, which caught Victoria’s attention very quickly. Courtney sat up and began to pay more attention, and observed how eager Victoria looked.

“Max, would you mind going over what you just said again? I didn't quite what you said.”

Max looked slightly sheepish at the request, but smiled slightly and replied “Oh, it’s nothing too major. I’ve just been doing a series on showing people’s emotions. I’m sort of trying to capture vulnerability though, like how people are when they’re really themselves.”

This only served to make Victoria look more attentively at Max. Courtney could see Victoria debating something in her head as she swallowed a mouthful of the red wine, tapping her pristine nails on the dining table. She once again looked up at Max, but there was no question about how genuine Victoria’s expression of intrigue was.

“May I see them?”

Max was the one to take pause now, as she looked to see if Victoria was being honest or not. Courtney gave Max a look to say ‘go ahead’, but Max seemed not to notice it. She resorted to giving Max a kiss on the cheek and a sly whisper of “It’ll be fine, your pictures are great,” to coerce Max into fishing out her phone. When Max finally brought up the portfolio of images on her phone, Courtney could tell that Victoria was surprised. Not negatively, either, but more in a case of admiration than dissatisfaction. Courtney could tell that Victoria liked the pictures, and the wine in her system led her to say so.

“Pretty good, aren’t they Vic?” she asked, somewhat facetiously. Immediately she regretted sounding so indignant, but Victoria either didn’t notice or was too busy gawking at Max’s work to care. She began to scroll through black and white photos of pictures you’d never have been able to imagine. Max’s work was so unique, even to her after all these years. Courtney had so much respect for how good her wife’s work was, she often felt inferior to Max in so many ways. Victoria took pause on a picture of what seemed to be a biker, tears built up in glassy eyes. She handed the phone back to Max and took another swig of wine before saying anything.

“They’re amazing” replied Victoria, still looking thoughtful as she spoke.

“I have to agree with Victoria here, Max. This is just something you decided to do on your own?” Taylor inquired, looking across the table at Max. Courtney noticed Max's typical shyness coming out as the attention focused on her, so she reassuringly rubbed Max’s leg gently under the table to reassure her. This seemed to work, as Max sat up once again looking assured.

“Yes it is. I get certain times in the studio to myself when I can work on personal projects with company equipment. I decided to find people I found interesting at local diners and shops and asked them if I could do a photoshoot with them. From there, I just get to know them and we share intimate moments like these. The photo you seemed to like, Victoria, was a biker I met just outside of town. I learnt a lot about how he struggled in life, losing his daughter when she was only young. We cry together, and I think it’s that bond that brings the photos to life. Personally my favourite-”

Taylor was engrossed in Max’s story, but Courtney was more interested in Victoria’s reactions at the moment. She could see no spite or vitriol from Victoria, as there may once have been at Blackwell or even a few weeks ago. Instead, Victoria seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, as if trying to solve a problem in her head. As Max began to finish, Courtney saw Victoria place her phone on top of the desk, text file open plain to see. Courtney could barely read it, but she saw Maxine Wagner written in bold a few times across the screen. When Max had finally finished, Courtney took the initiative and questioned Victoria over what she was doing. Victoria didn’t seem offended at the accusations, instead she responded by saying

“Max, I must say that your level of work is much higher than I would have expected-” Courtney noticed Max blushing again at the compliment, cute. “-and I have been debating an idea in my head since I saw your portfolio”

“What sort of idea do you have in mind?” Max inquired timidly, although making as much eye contact as possible. Victoria smiled sweetly, and pushed the phone across the table. Courtney looked over at the phone, and Max placed it between them so they could both read it. What it was in reality was a brief artist guide to 'Mrs Maxine Wagner, aspiring San Francisco artist’. The document was an overview of Max’s life and her occupations. It even went into a lot of detail about her marriage with Courtney, which came as a surprise. Courtney was extremely confused, and Max must have been feeling the same as she was. It wasn't too long before she handed the phone back and spoke up.

“I don’t fully understand what this is Victoria, why’ve you written this about me? What’s going on?”

Victoria and Taylor exchanged subtle glances, and Victoria turned back to look at Max. There was a look of expectancy on Victoria’s face, an expression she had not seen often. The optimism seemed somewhat alien on Victoria’s face, but it looked better than her normal resting bitch face.

“Well Max, the Chase Space in Seattle has been doing so well that we’ve decided to open a new gallery down in San Francisco. That's why we’re here. On business. However, the problem for me is that we don’t have anyone to exhibit for the opening weekend next week. We, mostly my parents, decided that displaying relatively obscure talent would be a great way to announce our presence in California. I’ve been tasked with finding said obscure talent, and I think you could be it Max. So my offer is this: we display your series on human emotion at the gallery and pay a handsome amount for your services. All you have to do is turn up to the event and soak up the atmosphere surrounded by your artwork and your peers. What do you say, Max? Does that sound good to you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Victoria redeems herself slightly and shows she still has emotions, yay!


	7. Alcohol's a hell of a beverage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took me long as well, had a ton of computing coursework to do so been writing this when I've had time. This was a really nice chapter to build up to. I've been sort of hinting at what happens throughout, so I hope this isn't too shocking.
> 
> Edit: changed wording and fixed my awful layout

Victoria had never been more sure of any decision in her life. Offering Max the opportunity to have the gallery space on opening night was a no brainer; as soon as she had seen Max’s work, she knew that it was exactly the sort of thing that she wanted.

It would be exactly what her parents wanted, as well.

Most of the exhibitors at the Chase Space all had a story to tell, and no doubt her parents would be more than willing to exploit what happened at Blackwell if it garnered more support or brought in investment. Especially because Max was so close to Chloe, her parents would probably want to sell Max’s style based on her past, as well as try to use Max and Courtney’s marriage to their advantage. It was scummy, sure, but that’s the art world for you.

But she wasn’t bothered about what her parents were going to do. She wasn’t even bothered about her own issues about Max, either. If Victoria was being honest, she knew she was insanely jealous of Max’s photographic talent, and had been since they were at school together. She wasn’t going to let her petty tendencies get in the way of her work, however. She could put it aside for one gallery showing if it got the job done. Besides, giving Max the exhibition was a win-win situation for everybody: The Wagners would have to stop hating her, Taylor and her would be able to get some time together, and her parents would get a nice new exhibition to showcase at their new gallery.

Everybody’s happy. Wonderful.

So of course, Max says yes to the offer, and the rest of the dinner goes on as planned. Victoria noticed that everyone was beginning to be more friendly to each other, which was great. Max was really enthusiastic and asked plenty of questions about the exhibition, as well as about the logistics of getting the event to work, which was understandable. She learnt that Max had never done a gallery showing before, which honestly comes as a surprise to her. Max’s photography had been more for magazines nowadays, but her traditional work easily worthy of a place in a good gallery.

She found it quite amusing how Max scribbled down notes about the event on the restaurant napkin with a pen Courtney had taken from the lobby. At least Max is showing an ounce of enthusiasm, unlike the majority of their entitled clients who couldn’t give less of a shit.

After she had finished explaining everything, Max had stuffed at least three of the napkins into her purse. During their discussion, Max had told her that she would be able to get the original copies of the photos to her by midweek so that they could be blown up for the showcase. It’s relatively short notice, for sure, but Victoria didn’t get to be so good at her job by missing deadlines. She could easily get it done.

The talk about the table soon reverted back to their lives and what has happened in the past years apart, and soon minutes turned to hours and they breezed through their main courses and desserts. The dinner was, as Max eloquently put it, ‘hella good’ which elicited a snort from her wife. It was probably an in-joke that Victoria didn’t understand.

Victoria, as she had promised them before the dinner, footed the bill. This was met by some protest from Max and Courtney, who ended up covering the tip themselves. For Victoria, it certainly wasn’t as expensive of a bill as she often had to foot when dining with high profile artists, but it certainly wasn't that cheap either. The high cost bottles of wine they went through during the evening seemed to be the majority of the bill, anyway.

After the waiter came and collected the cheque from the table, Victoria led the group from the hotel restaurant back to the foyer. Halfway through, she was pulled aside by Courtney, who had left her wife talking to Taylor. Neither Max nor Taylor took notice of Courtney’s absence, as they were preoccupied further down the hallway. As she began to walk and talk, Courtney kept her voice low as a whisper, her tone filled with no anger but much concern.

“Victoria, I need you to promise me something. You aren’t just doing this to fuck with my wife, are you? Because if you are, this is pretty cruel - even by your standards. She has been through a lot, she doesn’t deserve to be fucked with like we’re back at Blackwell anymore.”

She could tell where Courtney was coming from, and even though Victoria could fire off a dismissive remark in retaliation, she opted against the idea. Victoria’s actions had already caused enough of a divide between herself and the Wagners; she didn’t need to cause an even bigger divide. Instead, she summoned her most earnest smile and responded kindly.

“You have have my word Courtney. I know I was awful to you and Max back at the reunion, but this isn’t about that anymore. Max is a really talented photographer, and I would really like to showcase her work. Don’t you want this opportunity for Max as well?”

Courtney seemed to nod reluctantly and walked back over to where Max was. Victoria took it to be a success that she managed to convince Courtney of her good intentions; at least there was to be no more drama - not today at least. Taylor caught up to Victoria and asked why Courtney had come back from talking to her, and Victoria just said that Courtney had questions about the gallery. The answer seemed to appease Taylor as well, drawing out a relieved smile from the shorter blonde woman.

Victoria had realised that out of the two of them, Taylor was probably the most desperate for the night to go off without a hitch. Even though it wasn’t her fault, Taylor’s anxieties convinced her that it was she who did something wrong when Max and Courtney left early. Victoria could appreciate the way in which Max had repeatedly told Taylor that it wasn’t her fault during the dinner, which allowed Taylor to ease into the evening as it went on. It probably put Taylor’s mind to rest knowing that she didn’t do anything wrong, which was good. Victoria didn’t like seeing Taylor so sad, especially when she already had so much to deal with.

Victoria and Taylor bid farewell to the Wagners when they reached the foyer, and they watched the couple exit the lobby hand in hand. She watched longingly as the two disappeared out of sight outside the glass doors to the hotel, but was brought back to attention by Taylor’s hand waving in front of her face. Taylor grinned smugly at Victoria, the reasons to why Victoria couldn’t quite put together. She had felt some kind emotion as she watched those two walk off together, but she wasn’t quite sure what it was.

Taylor led Victoria over to the seating area under the glass chandelier in the lobby, where they sat and relaxed for a brief period. The silence was broken when Taylor turned toward Victoria with a mischievous smile gracing her features.

“You looked pretty lost earlier when Courtney and Max left earlier Vic, did you have something on your mind?” asked Taylor playfully, but her response was also slurred. She was obviously drunk, much as Victoria herself was. When Victoria thought back to earlier at the door, she realised that maybe she knew what the emotion she was feeling was. Although she wasn’t exactly comfortable with admitting it out loud, she decided that Taylor would be the best and most trustworthy person she could to tell.

“Do you ever wonder when the right person will come along for you, Taylor? I mean, I’ve not had a meaningful relationship in God knows how long. Seeing how happy Max and Courtney are when they’re together, it makes me feel really lonely Sweet T.”

If she was being honest, Victoria was probably so lonely because she refused to let people in. Seeing Max and Courtney together after all these years had been a shock to her, and the rejection from the waif hipster from a decade prior had resurfaced all over again. Then again, she was happy that she could have some closure on that front considering she could understand Max’s reasoning for turning her down now. Mayne now Victoria could move on in some way and find love somewhere else.

Taylor took pause to consider her words before she spoke up again, bringing Victoria out of her hazy thoughts.

“I know what you mean Vic, ” Taylor told her in response “ but you have to be happy for them. I’m sure you’ll find the right one for you soon enough, considering that you’re the stunning Victoria Chase after all -”

Taylor made an exaggerated gesture that made to encompass all of Victoria’s body. Victoria blushed profusely at the compliment, which was something that hadn’t happened before. She began to find the floor pretty interesting after that, and she went over in her head what Taylor had just told her. She was also starting to wonder why Taylor’s stirred up the nervous butterflies in her chest.

“Me, however, I’ve kind of accepted that someone will come along for me whenever. After everything i’ve dealt with, you know with my mother and stuff, love hasn’t been something I’ve really had time for. But it’s fine, I’m fine.”

Victoria didn't like the way Taylor was putting herself down there toward the end, Taylor shouldn’t think about herself so poorly. Victoria decided now was as good of a time as ever to just tell Taylor what she thought of her.

“You shouldn’t feel like that Taylor, not when you’re so great yourself. I mean, looks aren’t everything. Don’t get me wrong, I find you to be very attractive. But you also have an amazing personality and are so easy to have a conversation with. Like, you’re so happy and upbeat even when things aren’t going your way.”

Taylor smiled at the compliment, which was a bonus for Victoria. She also thought that maybe Taylor had began to flush, but it could be the sheer lighting of the lobby on them. Nevertheless, she decided to keep going on because obviously she was doing something right at the moment.

“Me on the other hand, just look what happened the other week. I almost managed to ruin what little friendship with Max and Courtney just because I was a little bit angry. You, however, basically salvaged my whole mess by getting me to organise this. If anyone deserves a little love, it’s you Taylor.”

Victoria made eye contact with the long haired blonde woman opposite her as she ended her monologue, and she realised that Taylor was undoubtedly blushing now. Victoria liked how Taylor looked when she blushed like that. Okay, so maybe Victoria was realising she was maybe attracted to Taylor a lot, and had revealed that in her drunken stupor. She couldn’t take that back, she didn’t have time powers. She’d just have to deal with it and see how Taylor reacted. Luckily, Taylor didn’t seem angry with her, if anything she was genuinely smiling.

“Thanks Victoria, I didn’t know that you thought about me like that. You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself though, there’s nothing wrong with your personality. Sure you can get really angry, but most of the time you’re really nice to be around. Honestly, us spending time with you is one of the things I enjoy the most.”

Victoria, perplexed, tried to work out what any of this meant. Did this mean that Taylor just enjoyed their friendship, or did the rosy colour of her cheeks represent something more. Led by the influence of their wine from dinner, Victoria plunged headfirst into asking Taylor before her pesky common sense could stop her. She was already in too deep anyway, one more question couldn’t hurt.

“I, um, earlier I told you that I find you attractive Taylor, what about for you? Do you find me attractive?”

Her words came out with less of that ‘Chase Confidence’ than she had expected, and she realised that maybe what Taylor would say mattered a lot to her. Luckily, Taylor’s answer came before she could begin to worry too much, and it was obvious that the alcohol was causing the two of them to spill secrets they had been hiding for some time now.

“Yes, I actually do. Like I said earlier, I think you’re stunning, but we’ve been friends since for ever but I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to be a couple. Seeing the Wagners so happy together only made me realise how much I wanted a relationship. Honestly, Victoria, I think I might be in love with you. Please don’t be freaked out.”

Victoria realised that maybe Taylor had a point. She was always so much happier around the other woman, and if she was being honest she had always felt Taylor was beautiful. She never considered that Taylor would be interested in girls, though. All throughout Blackwell Taylor would talk to her about boys and who she had a crush on. Maybe Taylor was bisexual, which would explain liking boys as well, but all that mattered right now was that Taylor just admitted that she loved her. Victoria knew her response, she just had to answer before she took to long and worried Taylor.

“Honestly, I think that I might have feelings for you as well. Whenever I’m around you i just feel so much happier and comfortable. I just never thought that you’d be interested in me in that way.”

Taylor’s face lit up with hope at Victoria’s words, which brought a satisfied smile to her face. Victoria went to continue but Taylor spoke first :

“I’ve been interested in you for a long time Vic, I just worried about how you’d react to it. From the looks of it, I shouldn’t have been worried at all. I hate to say this, but I’m -” Taylor yawned mid sentence, causing Victoria to yawn not soon after. “-pretty tired right now, and I think we should talk about this stuff tomorrow when we’re not so exhausted. It’s too late for all this love talk”

Victoria couldn’t have agreed more and hummed positively in response to what Taylor had said. She knew from experience how much she could turn an evening sour by being tired, so going to bed was not a bad idea right now. Victoria began to stand up to go back to her room when she had one more final idea to end the night properly. She turned back to Taylor, who was still sat on the long white couch in the lobby, and Victoria got the woman’s attention by waving her own room’s keycard at her.

“If you want to, you could share a room with me tonight. It’s probably less lonely than sleeping on your own, if what I heard fom tonight is true”

There was a lot more confidence in her words now, and her bold move was met by Taylor standing and hooking her arm in Victoria’s. She lead the shorter blonde woman to the elevators, up to the ninth floor and into their room.

They didn’t do anything wild that night, but Victoria was much happier to take it slow. After all, what the two of them had was love, not lust.

As they reached the queen sized bed, Victoria slipped under the covers next to where Taylor was laying. Victoria took the initiative and wrapped her arms around the woman next to her, who only moved closer to the touch. The two fell asleep that night in a loving embrace, arms tightly held around each other.

Victoria thought that maybe Courtney and Max were right.

This whole love thing is pretty good after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! On an side note, I'm thinking that this story is coming to an end soon and I will write some more Wagnerfield in the future. Let me know if you would like to read any more of this sort of thing or not!

**Author's Note:**

> Here is the link to my barely active [tumblr.](http://ll2kll.tumblr.com/)


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